LOST - A BRAND NEW SEASON

This week's episode of LOST, "?" features guest appearances from two Australian actresses, BROOKE “MIKEY” ANDERSON and MELISSA BICKERTON.

Brooke is probably best remembered for her role as Claire Fielding, the young daughter of Penny Cook’s character Ellie Fielding in E Street. She is US based and is aside from ongoing acting appearances is also writing, producing and directing her own shorts and feature films.

We had a chat to Brooke about her experiences on LOST and what she has been up to these days.

Back in the E-street days, It was a pretty crazy show, what was the funniest story line you remember being involved in:

I had some kooky stuff, I had to dress up as a milk carton at one stage (laughs) ….that was pretty bizarre working around with this big cardboard milk carton which was like twice my size….ummmm….we had sing the comfortable care songs with the character Max that was played by Bruce Samazan, that was pretty bizarre, they had me do some trippy stuff (laughs)

A lot of people have gone on to bigger things from that show, have made big names for themselves...

Oh absolutely...

Who was your favourite person to work with looking back now?

Penny (Penny Cook) for me hands down, she was basically my surrogate mother on set. I was probably one of the few cast members that something do with everyone, Ces and Les, and Toni, but of course, Penny, she was my idol back then. She taught me the business ropes, so I have a fond respect for her.

You have the nic name "Mikey", can I ask where that came from?

Yeah, it came from me being 4 years old and being in love with the guy that played Mikey on the Goonies (laughs)….I basically demanded that I be called Mikey and it kind of stuck (laughs)……I did go through a stage where I was like I'm all grown up now and I should probably drop the name Mikey, but my representatives over here were like nah nah, keep it, its cool (laughs)…They wanted to call me Mikey Anderson, but I said nah that's too far fetch, lets keep it as it is, Brooke Mikey Anderson….I'll cringe when I'm 80 but at the moment I love it (laughs)

With Lost, how did you get the role? How was the process?

I got the role because I had basically read for the casting agent a couple of times for various different roles on LOST where I was too old or too young, or too this or too that, and they called me for Alias as well, the same casting director. And eventually called me for this role….I was lucky because I thought I screwed up, I went to the wrong address…..40 minutes I was at the old address….normally the procedure is, they put down on tape and then the casting director sees you and then you go up to the big guns and you have the big executive board meeting. And I didn't realise I was going straight to meeting the execs and everything. And then 40 mins later, I realised and ran over to the Disney lot and did my piece and got the role (laughs). So it was lucky (laughs) I thought I lost it for sure (laughs)….

Are you a big Lost fan yourself?

I wasn't, purely because I don't watch a lot of TV, I'm usually working. But basically when this came around, my friends are big LOST fanatics so they bought me the book and told me who is who and what was going on. I read the script and I had no idea what was going on, but figured that didn't matter for my part. But I do watch it now, I will be honest. I think it's great, I had only seen one episode and I loved it, from the first season, but unfortunately I'm never home...

You worked with Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Mr Eko), was he scary in real life as he is on screen?

He is actually very lovely. He is a very sweet guy, it's funny when he comes out of his Mr Eko character. He is from London and I had just gone to London for the first time last year in September, that's where my grandparents were from and we just got back from there and I was all up with the London and knowing all the places and just being very excited….. He was cool, he gave me a ride in his car back to my hotel so I wouldn't have to wait 10 minutes for my normal car. So yeah, he is really nice, really down to earth, very focused and yeah I loved working with him…..He has so much presence.

Getting into the lost theories, you character was Charlotte Malkin, who was the daughter of Richard the psychic, or should I say fake psychic....

(Laughs) It was actually funny because I was speaking to Nick Jameson who plays my father in it and we just did a film in December prior to us shooting where I was first AD, so I was the assistant director so I was on the other side of the camera……so yeah when I arrived at the hotel, I went hey Nick, he did the double take was like "what, are you my daughter?" And I was like yeah I get to work with you on the same side of you this time (laughs)….

But yeah he was telling me that he was playing it like he was a legit psychic and then he realised hang on, I guess I am a fraud….(laughs) …he changed it. He is a brilliant actor, he is not Australian, and he did a great job…..

I actually thought he was an Australian…..

No he is an American, he is also being playing the Russian President on 24 …..He is a brilliant actor; he did a very broad Australian accent and I did a neutral accent….I kind of wanted to prove that not all Aussies are Paul Hogan (laughs)….he was great…he was like a typical Aussie and I loved

Do you think Charlotte died?

Oooooh….well for my reading from the script, I would say, yes I do. But who knows one year down the track something may come and it could have been all fake…..I have no idea (laughs)

In keeping with that, what do you think of the chances of the Malkin family will re emerge?

Who knows…..I mean its so bizarre to me that my dad in the series was Claire's psychic….it's inter-weaving the characters and how they met before the crash of the characters…. but as actors, at least guest actors, I have no idea what's going on. I played it like it was legit. When I read the script, it basically said that's what happens and when she sees Eko its like I have seen him in my premonition…. she believes, so I believed it at that point….

There was on particular moment, it was very interesting, where you and Libby share a glance at the airport….

Yes, it's very true…..

Was that written to be a glance?

Yeah they are very particular about who looks at who and at what time they look at each other, as to what is means, I'm not quiet entirely sure….I cant read into it because I have no idea…..but I could be like everyone just reading into it, I don't know what it is…..she was cool too, she was great to work with….yeah we shared a little glance, who knows if something comes out of it or not (laughs)

A lot of people have been theorising about it because they think there is something creepy about Charlotte…..

Yeah that's what I hear, a lot of my friends, like I said are huge lost fanatics, and they have been reading all the blogs, I don't go hunting for it myself, what they are saying about me….but they were like "hey did you know they are reading into this look and that look"….and I'm like I don't know what that look means….(laughs)….but I was told to look and I looked (laughs)…

Have you been recognised after the show?

I've had a couple of second takes, I went out with my friend to this piano bar and I had a couple of guys look at me and come over and go "Were you….?" And I was like "Yeah, that would be me but I'm not dead today!" It was interesting, she was very white, very pale, string hair, not the most glamorous of chicks…..so it was kind of interesting when I do go out and dress up a little bit and I get the double takes but not much into it at all….its kind of interesting….

What is your theory of what's going on?

Oh god (laughs) honestly, I've basically seen the episodes after my episode, so when I was like reading the script, I was like, what's going on? Who is doing what? (laughs) But I've been meaning to watch the dvds. I'm producing a feature film at the moment, so I'm tied up with getting that off the ground, but I got to rent the dvds so I can watch everyone's centric episode and see whats going on….I don't know if we are taken for a ride or if there is really a plan…whatever it is, its obviously working…so yeah I couldn't give you a definite…

Tell us about your feature film that you are making, you had a film a few years back that made won a lot of awards:

Yeah I made a short film, last year, I basically did it as director exercise to see if I enjoyed that side of it, and I decided to enter it into a couple of film festivals and it ended up doing really well, won a couple of awards…..it was a great learning experience for me, I loved it, it made me realise I love the whole process….

For more information on Brooke, head to her official website: www.brookeanderson.com