Harold Perrineau is now disappointed, not bitter

Yesterday we posted an article from a TV Guide interview with Harold Perrinaeu, who plays Michael on Lost. He appeared pretty bitter about the end his character came to in the season finale, and even mentioned race as something he was concerned about.

Well, Entertainment Weekly caught up with him right after that discussion hit the net and tried to clarify what he was feeling. He backpedals a bit and seemed sorry for the way he reacted.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: You expressed displeasure with the way your story line ended, calling it “not cool.” Do you feel bitter about what happened?
HAROLD PERRINEAU: I wouldn’t say I’m bitter. I’m just like the fans, and I got excited when Michael was coming back. I thought it was really significant when Michael dropped those people off with the Others; I thought he was going to have something just as significant when he came back. I was disappointed that he didn’t. He didn’t get to make amends with those people. And nobody got to see [him try to neutralize the bomb]. Walt didn’t get to see it. Jin got to see it, but wasn’t necessarily so mad at him. And Desmond, who Michael didn’t know at all, was there. I was disappointed more than anything, like the fans were disappointed. Like I think the fans were disappointed.

You were quoted as saying that the loss of Michael meant that Walt “winds up being another fatherless child, [and] it plays into a really big, weird stereotype.” Did you voice that concern to the producers?
There’s not been any conversation about that. That was just my point-of-view in an interview. This is nothing that I’ve ever talked to the writers about, or I think is necessarily anything I should talk to them about. Their job is to make the story work. My feelings about the social implications are my feelings. My feelings don’t determine what the storyline is.

Do you feel that there is something fundamentally problematic with that plot, or is that just an observation?
It’s just an observation. Michael’s a black character and I’m a black person, so I have feelings based on it. I can’t really separate those two things — my race and my country and all that stuff. How it plays out in the story, I don’t know, because I don’t know how the rest of the story is going to play out. I accept that this is what [the producers] need to happen for something else to happen later.

Do you regret going public with your feelings?
I should probably think more before I say things. I should especially think before I say anything racial, because I recognize that when you make a racial comment it polarizes people. That was never the intention. It’s like, “No, no, no, don’t choose sides. I’m just telling you this is what I think. Everybody stay on whatever side you’re on; this is my point-of-view.” I should think about those things, and then unfortunately what happens is I just start to talk — like I’m doing now, I should probably shut up. [laughs]

The race card he played is unfortunate. While there is obvious racism and prejudice everywhere these days, I have a hard time believing that killing off Michael, and leaving his son fatherless, had anything to do with race at all.

Lost is notorious for killing off characters. Heck, all you have to do is get caught for drunk driving in real life, and you’re off the show.

I will concede though that a lot of characters come to some sort of absolution before they die. And while Harold seems to not think that happened because of Walt, Michael DID save the boat from the bomb for awhile, and redeemed himself for his betrayal back on the Island.

On some level, he did get a hero’s death.
Totally. In some sense he did. It wouldn’t be what I would have done. What I was wishing for was something, and that could be my actor pride too: “It should have been bigger!’ [laughs]

I just don’t get why this one death is causing such grief. I think Perrineau must have just really, REALLY loved being on the show and is utterly bummed out to not be coming back.  Of course, we’ve seen Charlie this year…

My surprise in all this really boils down to one thing: You work as a cast member on the show Lost…there is a great chance you wont make it to the end.

Read the entire article ( a lot more questions) over on Entertainment Weekly.