Lost A quick chat with Lost star Naveen Andrews

Naveen Andrews, aka Lost’s island warrior Sayid Jarrah, talks hard work, Hawaii and Hurley...

Naveen Andrews has certainly been through the mill as Sayid Jarrah in Lost. Since escaping the island as part of the Oceanic Six, the former Iraqi soldier has seen his wife murdered, become an assassin and then gone on the run. As this week’s episode reveals more about his off-island activities, including why he ended up in the Dominican Republic, we caught up with the London-born actor to find out more and here's what he had to say...

I’ve really enjoyed being off the island and doing something different this series... I get to wear nice clothes and have my hair straightened. We seem to be hurtling forwards to some kind of conclusion for the final series and the pace has really picked up.

Making Lost is physically arduous... You’ve got to be solid of mind and body to do this show. It’s made out of a kind of compressed hysteria because everyone’s so tired.

If I could play any other Lost character it would be Locke... I love that ambiguity he has. Is he lying or not? I always liked that.

Jorge Garcia, who plays Hurley, has a natural comic gift... I can imagine him having his own show with a hall full of people. He’d have them eating out of the palm of his hand.

There are ups and downs to being famous... We’re just so visible so we get more offers of work. But there is also a downside thanks to the paparazzi, particularly in LA.

It’s paradise on Hawaii... I have bought 40 acres on the big island and that’s my retirement plan. But it’s where I work, not where I live. If I can fly back home for three days, I’ll do it.

I miss things about Britain... I miss my son, obviously, but also things like Radio 4 and Tony Benn, the sense of history and how literate Europeans are.

I once did backing vocals for Cliff Richard... I was with former Sex Pistol Steve Jones and he asked Cliff onto his radio show. It was one of the better experiences of my life, but a bit incongruous, too. He was really lovely.