by Stephanie SoteriouBuzzFeedBuzzFeed StaffI’m an innately nosey and chronically online celebrity and pop culture journalist, with my specialist areas including deep-diving lyrics and calling out Terrible Men™.

Daniel Dae Kim shot to global fame when he landed the role of Jin-Soo Kwon in the hit ABC series Lost, which aired between 2004 and 2010.

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Since then, he has starred in Hawaii Five-0 and had recurring roles in Angel, Star Trek: Enterprise, The Good Doctor, and 24, to name a few.

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On the big screen, you may recognize Daniel from movies like Hellboy, Joy Ride, the Divergent series, and Always Be My Maybe.

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Back in 2025, he was nominated for a Best Actor Tony award for his performance in the play Yellow Face, and he now runs his own production company, which was involved in the production of his 2025 TV series, Butterfly.

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But despite Daniel's truly stacked résumé, it is undeniable that Lost is the project that has maintained the most devoted cult following among fans, with the show’s divisive ending still sparking endless discourse more than 15 years after it aired.

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As I am sure you know, Lost follows the survivors of a plane crash that leaves them stranded on a mysterious, seemingly deserted island in the South Pacific.

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And if you need reminding, there is a common — yet bizarre — misconception that the series finale “reveals” that all of the characters had been “dead the whole time,” despite it being clearly explained that this is not the case.

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You can read a full, in-depth recap of the final episode here, but it essentially shows protagonist Jack Shephard, played by Matthew Fox, reunite with the people he spent time with on the island in a church after his death, so that they can all transition into the afterlife together — think Rose reuniting with all of her fellow passengers on the Titanic following her death decades after the ship sank.

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The cast themselves have admitted to being confused by the ending over the years, with Josh Holloway — who played Sawyer — saying at Florida Supercon just last year that he still has “no idea” what it all means. He added: “They did it in their way, which I still don’t understand. Please explain.”

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And now Daniel has reflected on how he feels about the polarizing finale all these years on, telling People that he was overall happy with how everything panned out. Speaking to the publication at the Gold Gala earlier this month, the 57-year-old star said: “I cared most about the characters, and the fact that the characters were all together at the end of the series was the thing that mattered most to me.”

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“And so I found that really satisfying because, as actors, we could say goodbye to each other in those final scenes,” Daniel went on, adding that he has “nothing but affection” for his time on the show.

“I've made lifelong friends through that show,” he shared. “It helped my career in a way that no other job has. Lost really gave me opportunities that no other job had, and I don't think I'd be here today without it.”

What do you make of the Lost ending? Let me know your thoughts down below!

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Lost Star Daniel Dae Kim On Divisive Show Ending