When any television show comes to a close, there is usually a wrap party for cast and crew. The one that commemorated the end of Lost was thrown by one of the series’s stars, Evangeline Lilly. According to those who attended, Kate Austen took things to another level. Even though the event happened more than a decade ago, several Lost alumni who reminisced about the show’s finale for Vulture can still remember key details, including the unexpected guest who attended and wound up hopping onstage.
Josh Holloway (James “Sawyer†Ford): We had this amazing party that Evy threw out in the middle of nowhere where we always filmed.
Terry O’Quinn (John Locke): It was at Kualoa Ranch, I believe.
Yunjin Kim (Sun): All the actors — well, I certainly did — I was like, “Listen, I want to chip in.†She’s like, “No.†And she kept it secret. She didn’t tell us the location. I had no idea it was going to be such a big deal. She spent so much money. It was crazy. There were buses that drove us. She’s like, “Just remember to wear rain boots.†I was like, “Are we going in the jungle? You’ve got to tell me because I’m packing. I’m packing, girl.â€
Emilie De Ravin (Claire Littleton): She did such a beautiful job organizing that [and] being able to do it there, especially in that location that was so used [in the show] and so special to us and so pretty.
Holloway: She put like a frickin’ circus tent out there and had a huge band and a sit-down dinner for 400 people. And it looked like some club in L.A. I mean, there were hanging lights, chandeliers, and it was frickin’ beautiful, right?
Carlton Cuse: It was like somebody throwing a wedding. I mean, it was no holds barred. She went all out. God knows what she spent on it.
Holloway: I might’ve smoked a joint with Jimmy Buffet out there.
Cuse: Jimmy Buffet was on Oahu because he has business interests there and somehow get connected with Jack Bender —
Damon Lindelof: Carlton. Carlton. You know his business interest very specifically was the chain of restaurants, Cheeseburger in Paradise. You have to say it. I mean, come on.
Cuse: So, yes, he owned these restaurants, and he somehow had crossed paths with Bender. And I remember Bender and I were traveling to the finale [party] together and he called me up and said, “Hey, you mind if Jimmy Buffett comes with us to the party?†And I was like, “What?â€
Then we were supposed to get a limo, but it was Prom Night in Honolulu and the limo company basically screwed us over. They didn’t send a limo, but they sent some vehicle they had, which was one of those airport shuttle buses, but it had been decked out with stars on the ceiling and sort of a disco theme inside. All of a sudden, there’s me and Jack and Jimmy Buffett riding in a blacked-out disco airport shuttle bus across the island to Evangeline’s party.
Lindelof: Heidi [Lindelof’s wife] and I were in there, too.Â
Cuse: I remember we’re walking into the party, and if I recall, we walked up to Josh Holloway and we were just chatting and Jimmy Buffett’s standing there. [Josh] is like, “Hey, so who’s your friend?†And we go, Josh, meet Jimmy Buffett. He was like, “Jimmy fucking Buffett?â€
Holloway: I’m sitting there, and in walks Jimmy Buffet, and I was like, “Holy shit, Jimmy!†So we started talking and we both had to pee. So we went and peed off a terrace. Don’t quote me, but we might have smoked a J. It was fun. It was so cool. I was like, I can’t believe I’m smoking a J with Buffett.
O’Quinn: I remember standing in the line just to get a drink. Suddenly, there was this little guy standing in front of me, kind of this short guy that I did not know. I figured he was somebody’s brother or somebody from the tech crew that isn’t always on the set. He ordered a drink and I ordered a drink and I went to tip the bartender and he said, “Let me do that for you.†Somebody said, “Have you met Jimmy?†I said, “Hi, Jimmy, I’m Terry.†I still didn’t know who it was. I walked away and somebody said, “Hey, you met Jimmy Buffett?†I said, “That’s Jimmy Buffett?â€
Cuse: Meanwhile, Evy had hired a local band to play music, and it was fine, but it was low-key. Then Jimmy was like, “Do you think they would mind if I played a few songs with them?†We were like, “No, oh my God, that’s amazing.â€
O’Quinn: I actually didn’t talk to him that night, but I did probably about a dozen Hawaii Five-O’s over the following years. Jimmy was a fan of the show, so they hired Jimmy and he and I had a few scenes together, which was really fun. So we worked together a little bit. We exchanged numbers. We were going to play a round of golf, but we never did get to that.
Cuse: I remember he’s standing up there and he tapped on the microphone. He goes, “Hey, everybody, I’m Jimmy Buffet. I thought I’d play a few songs for you.†There were like 300 people there and everybody spins around and is like “Jimmy fucking Buffett?†He breaks into “Satisfaction,†by the Rolling Stones, and this band, which has been playing very mellow island music, is just jamming on this Rolling Stones song and everybody goes onto the dance floor and starts dancing. It was a pretty magical and surreal moment.
Lindelof: It was amazing.
De Ravin: I don’t know if there will ever be a cooler wrap party. I think Evy set the bar pretty high on that one.