Ausiello has the scoop on the first confirmed casting. Her name is Zuleikha Robinson and you can see here IMDB page here.
Here name isn't exactly a household one, but something tells me that's all about to change.
In what reps the first major piece of casting for Lost's fifth season, sources confirm to me exclusively that Zuleikha Robinson has been tapped to play the pivotal role of Illana.
Couple things: Before you ask, it's pronounced Zoo-Lika. And she's done stuff. Some high profile stuff. Like Fox's short-lived New Amsterdam, where she played Nikolaj Coster-Waldau's partner in crime. Prior to that, the London-born actress slaved away as Gaia on HBO's Rome and, in her first big break, had a regular gig on another ill-fated Fox drama, the X-Files spinoff The Lone Gunmen.
Robinson's Lost deal calls for her to start off as a recurring player with an option to become a series regular in season 6 (a.k.a. the farewell season).
As I first reported last month, Ilana is described as a European female who possesses great intelligence, but who's also dangerous as all get out. She's alluring and apparently used to getting her own way.
At the time, EW's Doc Jensen mused that she Illana "sounds exactly like the kind of lethal lady Sayid would fall for. So I’m wondering if the dashing Iraqi is due for a new love interest, yet another lady whose true motivations will be in question."
Team Darlton's not commenting on Doc's theory, or Robinson's casting for that matter (this radio silence thing is going to be the death of me!), so I guess we'll just have to wait until the new season kicks off in (ugh) five long months to see if he's right. In the meantime, go ahead and weigh in on Lost's first big season 5 casting and, while you're at it, feel free to toss out your own Ilana theories.
Source: EW
First new casting for Season 5
(Comments: 21)
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Zuleikha Robinson
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21 Comments:
I remember her from The lone gunmen.
As for outlandish guesses - Widmore's love interest. Who also becomes Sayid's love interest. Hilarity ensues.
So HOT! Love the actress. She was also in Hidalgo.
She was AWESOME in Rome. She played a slave who seduced the main character and was choked to death for it. I'm psyched she's joining Lost!
So totally Rousseau.
Are there going to be any new handsome young chaps?
She's definitely a younger Rousseau from some kind of flashback/time travel.
The Rousseau likeness would be difficult to sell. I googled her image and she dosen't look a lot like Mira.
She was pretty badass on Rome. The people that do the casting for Lost must be big HBO fans.
Saw her in Namesake whr she played a Bengali girl in America. She wasnt bad half bad.
I like her for Rousseau, too..
Horndog Sayid needs a cold shower already.
She doesn't look like Rousseau at all. If Michael Emerson played Ben when the Purge occurred (1992), I don't see why Mira wouldn't be cast as young Rousseau. Assuming she arrived at the island in 1988.
I stand by my early prediction that Illana = Danielle. I remember this actress from "ROME", and I think with a little hair styling and dialect coaching, she'll be very passable as the young Rousseau.
As for why Mira Furlan won't be playing the young Rousseau... Furlan wanted off the show, that was the reason given for killing her off.
IMO she looks like danielle, but her name isn't danielle so how could she be danielle?
I doubt its Danielle. I think she's one of Wiggles's men.
Anyways, this is fantastic! I love her, she is beyond gorgeous. And a great actress! She was amazing in Rome, The Lone Gunmen, and even Hidalgo.
Is the character name now "Ilanna" like in the casting sheet or "Ilana" like Ausiello reports?
The Ilana name is probably just a cover, so how it's spelled = irrelevant.
She's beautiful! I remember her from Rome and the Merchant of Venice.
Is it me, but does it seem like all the new cast members fit the description: one thing on the outside but dangerous and deadly... I think this is an emerging theme for the fifth season.
Also, season 6 is not the "farewell" season. That was season 4. Season 6 is the "answers" season.
She was absolutely terrible in The Lone Gunmen. Of course, everyone was terrible in The Lone Gunmen. Including the Lone Gunmen.
I'm picturing most of these new castmembers as Dharma peeps. But that's probably my "wishful for a whole season of on-island timeshifting Locke-vs-Dharma action" thinking.
Her New Amsterdam character reminded me a bit of what Ana Lucia should've been like.
Being a serious Rome fan, I have to say that she was just about unrecognizable to me in the photo you've got here. In fact, I had to look her up just to see if this wasn't a mistake!
Now if they could bring in Kevin McKidd and Ray Stevenson then I'd get so excited that I'd probably have a heart attack. ;) My two favorite shows united. Ahhhh.... bliss...