Actor Josh Holloway discusses his challenging seven-year stint away from the public eye.
Rewritten Article:
Locked out of Hollywood's limelight since his breakout role in Lost, Josh Holloway faces a frank admission about his career drought in a thought-provoking interview with The Hollywood Reporter. Known for his gripping portrayal of James Sawyer Ford on the science-fiction series that wrapped up in 2010, the 55-year-old actor quipped, "It seemed I'd hit the cursed jackpot - I jinxed myself by breaking a mirror or something - I had seven long, arid years."
On the professional front, Holloway, who was cast in a string of roles following Lost, felt that they fell short of the mark set by his Sawyer character. Disheartened, he toyed with abandoning the acting world altogether until a fateful call from J.J. Abrams, the show's executive producer. Abrams pitched him an intriguing new role in the 1970s-set crime thriller series, Duster. Holloway was immediately captivated by the opportunity to delve into an era bursting with cultural fervor and play a character tailor-made for him.
"I'd been through a long stretch of mundane offers, cookie-cutter roles that didn't excite me or truly match the caliber of my Sawyer character," Holloway revealed, adding, "The thought of shaking things up and reinventing myself was a breath of fresh air."
Duster demanded that Holloway shed some pounds for his character, but lengthy production delays due to HBO's sale and the pandemic turned the wait into an agonizing limbo. Speaking about his time away from the spotlight, Holloway shared, "Family life grounded me during those tough years, but the itch to create never completely dissipated. I tossed myself into learning piano, tried my hand at odd jobs around the house - you name it."
"With every rejection notice from my agents, my desperation mounted," he continued. "I pleaded with them to send me any gig that would pull me out of my cozy bubble - I needed a change of scenery, a break from my usual family-focused routine."
The culmination of Holloway's perseverance bore fruit with the 2025 premiere of Duster on HBO Max, marking his triumphant return to the small screen. Although the production process was plagued with challenges and pitfalls, the team persevered, creating a final product that resonated with audiences worldwide[1][3].
As Holloway prepares for the new dawn of his career with Duster, he reflects on the chapter that nearly closed on him, saying, "Sawyer was a defining role in my life, one I'll always cherish, but it was time to move on and embrace new challenges. I'm grateful for the opportunity to reconnect with my passion and prove that, even after a long hiatus, I'm still in the game."
[1] IMDb - Josh Holloway[2] USA Today - Q&A with Josh Holloway[3] Variety - Josh Holloway's career resurgence with Duster[4] The Guardian - The making and meanings of Duster
- Who among the celebrities made a triumphant return to the small screen with the 2025 premiere of "Duster" on HBO Max, following a long hiatus and several professional challenges?
- In an interview, Josh Holloway, the 55-year-old actor who played James Sawyer Ford in "Lost," shared that he felt he'd been offered mundane roles that didn't match the caliber of his Sawyer character, us included.
- Despite family life grounding him during his career drought, Josh Holloway confessed that the itch to create never completely dissipated, leading him to explore new interests like learning piano and taking on odd jobs, all while longing for entertainment opportunities that would take him out of his comfort zone in the world of movies-and-tv and celebrities.
