Creator JJ Abrams struck gold with the hit series Lost, which premiered 20 years ago in September 2004, ushering in the era of 'water cooler' TV, which saw endless discussion about the latest episodes.
The show followed the survivors of a plane crash as they grappled with their new reality on a remote island filled with dark secrets and ever-present danger. It quickly became one of the biggest TV series in the world, racking up over 50 Emmy nominations during its six-year run and sparking debate over its shocking ending.
Twenty years on, join HELLO! as we discover what the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 have done since the show wrapped in 2010.
Matthew Fox as Jack Shephard
Matthew played Dr. Jack Shephard, the island's doctor and leader of the stranded group. He rose to fame for his role in the 1994 drama Party of Five, which ran until 2000; Lost was his first major TV role since then and immediately launched him to new career heights, granting him Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for his work on the show.
Post-Lost, the father of two made his West End debut in 2011 for In a Forest, Dark and Deep; he also starred in 2012's Emperor and pivoted to playing a villain in Alex Cross in 2012. His last major role was in 2015's Bone Tomahawk; speaking at a Monte Carlo press conference for the 2022 series Last Light, Matthew revealed why he left the acting world behind for almost a decade.
"I kind of had a bucket list in my mind of things that I wanted to accomplish in the business, and after I did [the movie] Bone Tomahawk in 2014, that had kind of completed the bucket list," he said [per Variety]. "At that time in my life, our kids were at an age where I felt like I needed to really reengage," he continued.
"I had been focused on work for some time, and [my wife] Margherita had been running the family so beautifully, but I felt like it was time to be home, and I really felt like I was retiring from the business, and working on other creative elements that are really personal to me- some music and writing." His upcoming projects include the TV series The Assassin and the Yellowstone spin-off The Madison.
Evangeline Lilly as Kate Austen
Evangeline burst onto the scene in Lost as the runaway Kate Austen, a role which earned her a Golden Globe nomination. Prior to the show, she had only scored background parts, so this was a massive leap for the actress.
She starred as Tauriel in the Hobbit trilogy and as The Wasp in Marvel's Ant-Man films. During Lost, she also starred in 2008's The Hurt Locker, which won Best Picture at the Oscars.
She has two children with her partner of 14 years, Norman Kali, and recently announced her retirement from acting via Instagram. "Stepping away from what seems like the obvious choice (wealth and fame) can feel scary at times, but stepping into your dharma replaces the fear with fulfilment," she wrote in the caption. "I might return to Hollywood one day, but for now, this is where I belong."
Josh Holloway as James "Sawyer" Ford
Josh played the resident bad boy Sawyer, a role which won him a Saturn Award. He showed no signs of slowing down after Lost wrapped up; he acted in Mission: Impossible- Ghost Protocol in 2011 and in the series Intelligence in 2014, followed by 2013's Paranoia and 2014's Sabotage.
He also starred in the sci-fi series Colony from 2016 to 2018 and appeared in Yellowstone. Josh is set to star in the TV crime series Duster in 2025, reuniting with Lost creator JJ Abrams for the show. He has two kids with his wife, Yessica Kumala.
Jorge Garcia as Hugo "Hurley" Reyes
Jorge starred as the sweet Hurley, the show's comedic relief who grew to become a beloved character on the show. Since Lost, Jorge has worked steadily in film and TV, starring in 2012's Alcatraz, Hawaii Five-O, Fringe, and guest starred on The Masked Singer in 2022.
He currently acts in the comedy Bookie, which has been running since 2023. He shares a daughter with his wife, actress Rebecca Birdsall.
Dominic Monaghan as Charlie Pace
Dominic was the show's resident rockstar, Charlie; he told People in 2022 how grateful he was for his experience. "I was happy to be involved in a show that, for a while there, was the biggest TV show in the world," he said.
The British actor starred in the Lord of the Rings trilogy before Lost as the hobbit Merry Brandybuck; since the show ended, he starred in X-Men Origins: Wolverine in 2009 and the nature documentary series Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan from 2012-2016.
He reunited with JJ Abrams for The Rise of Skywalker in 2019 and has dabbled in voice work, including in Angry Birds: Mystery Island. He dated his co-star, Evangeline, from 2004 until 2007.
Yunjin Kim as Sun-Hwa Kwon
Yunjin played the wealthy heiress and wife of Jin-Soo Kwon on the show; at the time, Yunjin and her co-star Daniel Dae Kim were the first Asian series regulars on a US show.
She rose to fame in South Korea for Shiri in 1999, and post-Lost she starred alongside Alyssa Milano in Mistresses from 2013-2016 before returning to her Korean roots for Ms. Ma, Nemesis in 2018.
She joined the cast of Money Heist: Korea in 2022 and also played a principal in the Netflix series XO, Kitty in 2023. She married her manager, Jeong Hyeok Park, in 2010.
Daniel Dae Kim as Jin-Soo Kwon
Daniel was a mainstay of American TV even before Lost; he appeared in Angel, ER, and 24 before his role as Jin-Soo, Sun-Hwa's bad-tempered husband.
He starred in the Hawaii Five-O reboot from 2010 until 2017 and executive produced the hit show The Good Doctor.
Daniel recently played Fire Lord Ozai in the live-action remake of Avatar: The Last Airbender, acted in films like Hellboy, Always Be My Maybe and Joy Ride, and currently stars in the Broadway show Yellow Face. He married his wife Mia Rhee in 1993, and the couple share two children.
Terry O'Quinn as John Locke
Terry earned himself an Emmy for his turn as the tough yet spiritual John Locke, but Lost was certainly not his breakout role.
He had film roles in The Stepfather in 1987, Tombstone (1993), and Primal Fear (1996) and starred in multiple TV series like Alias, The West Wing and JAG.
Post-Lost, he has been steadily working in film and TV; he joined his co-star Daniel Dae Kim on Hawaii Five-O, appeared in Perpetual Grace, LTD in 2019, Resident Alien in 2021 and starred in The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live this year. He shares two sons with his ex-wife, Lori O'Quinn.
Emilie de Ravin as Claire Littleton
Emilie starred as the soon-to-be mom on the show and the only Australian character in the main cast. Since Lost, she played Belle in the fairytale series Once Upon A Time and starred alongside Robert Pattinson in the drama Remember Me (2010).
Emilie acted in the Australian detective miniseries True Colours in 2022. She welcomed two children with fiancé Eric Bilitch.
Naveen Andrews as Sayid Jarrah
Naveen played Sayid, the former Iraqi soldier, and was nominated for a Golden Globe and an Emmy for his role on the show.
Before Lost, Naveen had made a name for himself in films like The English Patient (1996), Mighty Joe Young (1998) and Bride and Prejudice (2004).
After Lost, he continued down the television track with roles in Sense8, Instinct and as Elizabeth Holmes's partner Sunny Balwani in the acclaimed show The Dropout. He has two kids from previous relationships.
Harold Perrineau as Michael Dawson
Harold portrayed single dad Michael with heart, but before his role on Lost, he had worked steadily in Hollywood. He rose to fame thanks to 1995's Smoke and Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet as Mercutio alongside Leonardo DiCaprio. He also appeared in the Matrix trilogy.
Since the show wrapped, he has primarily stuck to TV, with roles on Criminal Minds, Wedding Band, The Rookie, Claws, and Sons of Anarchy. He also appeared in 2012's Zero Dark Thirty and the 2018 film Dumplin'.
He has starred in the series From since 2022 and shares three daughters with his wife, Brittany Robinson.
Michael Emerson as Ben Linus
Michael has made a name for himself for playing not-so-nice characters; he played a serial killer on The Practice and starred in the horror film Saw in 2004.
He won an Emmy for his role as the manipulative antagonist and leader of the Others in Lost and went on to star in multiple series like Person of Interest from 2011-2016, Arrow in 2012 and Evil (2019-2024) after the show wrapped. He married his wife, Carrie Preston, in 1998.