CelebritySentry.com has posted an older interview with Matthew Fox from several years ago, when he starred in a short-lived UPN series called “Haunted.” Among Fox’s comments from the interview:
“When I first read the script for the Haunted pilot I saw very dark, gritty, moody, [film] noir-type images,” says Fox. “Even on the page it had that feel to it. I’m a big fan of that genre. I like those old noir movies and their characters, most of whom seem to be these dark, mysterious gentlemen with some terrible flaw in their past who are looking for redemption through their work. I pictured Frank as someone made from that mold, which I liked. Here’s a guy that feels responsible for the loss of his only son and throws himself into his work as a private eye in his search for redemption. It’s not only about redemption, though, on a subconscious level. It’s also on that very basic level that all parents who have lost a child have, which is the hope that someday they might find him or her.
“Being an ex-cop, Frank realizes, at least from a logical standpoint, that the chances of that are very slim indeed. however, there’s a part of him that still holds out hope against all odds. so that’s another aspect of him that appealed to me. Then you have everything that happens to him in the pilot and what it means to his future. I’m referring to the fact that part of his soul is connected like a string to the limbo between the living and the dead. Frank is serving as a conduit or a way for spirits that are caught in that world to put things right in this world. That’s a whole other challenge to playing Frank. There’s just so much to work with. when you come across a role like this the first thing you say to yourself as an actor is, ‘I don’t know if I can pull all that off.’ That’s actually what spurs me on. there always has to be an element of fear, I believe, in your work and life in general. All this jumped out at me and I knew I had to play this character. so here I am.”