Throughout the history of "Lost," long-dead characters have had a tendency to reappear, whether through ghostly visions, flashbacks and now, in its final season, flash-sideways'. In the first handful of new episodes, fans were reacquainted with characters such as Charlie Pace and Boone Carlyle, and we know that there are going to be other future appearances as well from the likes of Michael Dawson and the enigmatic Libby.
Now, you can add another name to the list — Rebecca Mader is returning as Charlotte Lewis.
In an exclusive interview with MTV News, Mader spoke about coming back to the Island for a surprising guest appearance on tonight's episode of "Lost," titled "Recon." According to Mader, the decision to bring back Charlotte — who died in the fifth season due to time displaced brain trauma — was just as surprising to her as it must be for fans.
"They called me completely out of the blue and said, 'Would you like to come back to the show?' I did not see that coming at all," she told MTV. "When they asked me to come back, I asked them what they meant — whatever happened, happened, you know? Then they explained to me what was going to be happening, the capacity in which I'd be returning, and when they explained that, I absolutely jumped at the chance. When you see it, you'll agree with me."
Mader was tightlipped about the particulars of Charlotte's return, though the possibilities are certainly wide open. Ghosts have a bad habit of popping up on the Island, and as both Miles and Hurley are able to communicate with the dead, Charlotte could easily resurface in a vision capacity. But there are also the flash-sideways to consider, a new narrative device that transports viewers to a concurrent timeline where Oceanic Flight 815 never crashed. When asked if she'd be appearing in the sideways universe, Mader offered a quick, simple and reluctant: "Probably."
No matter how Charlotte returns, one thing is clear — the actress wasn't expecting a comeback. Mader revealed that she had long since put her character to bed after her final scene in "This Place is Death" with her curious last words: "I'm not supposed to have chocolate before dinner."
"I was really happy with my deathisode," she recalled of her swan song. "I had friends come over and it was like a funeral — we wore all black and had a drink in her honor. It was fun, because I'd had a party to celebrate my arrival on the island, and I had one to say goodbye and see [Charlotte] out. It was kind of perfect in a way. I was really happy in the end."
That's not to say that Mader was fully at peace with her character's arc at the time of her departure. She said: "I was disappointed when I was told that they were going to kill her off, since I'd just revealed that I was born on the Island. I was still waiting to find out who I was playing when I was told she's going to be killed. That was definitely disappointing at the time. Not anymore, but at the time."
Given her disappointment, it would be reasonable to guess that part of the appeal of returning for Mader was getting the opportunity to fully resolve Charlotte as a character — but according to the actress, that's not exactly the case.
"No, I didn't [get to resolve those things]," she teased. "But when you see the episode, you'll see what the appeal was."
Following her guest appearance in "Recon," Mader said she wasn't sure if she'd be filming future scenes on "Lost." But the actress, who has moved on from Charlotte's demise, is simply enjoying the ride that the sixth and final season has presented thus far.
"I'm loving this season. I think it's great," she said. "Everyone's freaking out about how it's going to end, because you still can't tell at this point. It's great. Everybody's on the edge of their seats."
Tell us what you think of Rebecca Mader's return to "Lost" in the comments section and on Twitter!
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