The son of Nigerian immigrants, the London-born 38-year-old actor progressed from stereotypical African roles in films such as ''Congo'' and ''Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls'' to a memorable turn as Simon Adebisi, the baddest of the bad on HBO's ''Oz.'' His mainstream visibility is only increasing with his role as charismatic drug dealer Majestic in ''Get Rich or Die Tryin' '' and his ''Lost'' gig, which he took immediately afterward as something of a vacation.
''Working in Hawaii, being out there, it's different, man,'' Akinnuoye-Agbaje says. ''It's a trip. You're on a rock and you work and all the locals know you and it's quite a trip. I took it after 'Get Rich or Die Tryin' ' just to cleanse me out. It was nice to wash that out and go to a beautiful environment.''
So far, viewers have learned very little about Akinnuoye-Agbaje's Mr. Eko. The character hasn't had more than a dozen lines of dialogue and while his presence was initially threatening, it certainly appears that he was part of the second group of plane crash survivors, a clan that also has introduced Michelle Rodriguez and Cynthia Watros to the cast.
Akinnuoye-Agbaje says he had no concerns about being dropped into the insular ''Lost'' community that has been bonding in Hawaii for well over a year.
''I didn't really have time to even consider it, I went straight to work,'' he says of the tight switch from ''Get Rich.'' ''In hindsight, they're a very tight bunch of actors. Obviously, when you're very far from home you kind of club together. And it's genuine. There's a really nice sense of camaraderie there. Every Wednesday a different actor is showing the episode in their house and they gather there to watch it. It's nice, it's a nice posse to work with.''
Although he's only been shooting for a few months, Akinnuoye-Agbaje already has contracted that particular disease that afflicts all ''Lost'' actors, a condition characterized by vagaries and ambiguity.
''I've been really pleasantly surprised,'' he hints of the direction that Mr. Eko will take in the weeks to come. ''I think you're going to like it. I don't think you've seen this kind of dimension of character or the culture illuminated on network TV in a long time, like in prime time.''
Hmmm. . . . That may not necessarily say much. Has he been paying attention to any of the wildly spreading speculation about his character?
''No,'' he laughs. ''Just get on with the work, man.''
And when will we learn more about his soft-spoken shirtless giant?
''You'll see. . . . In the next two weeks, it's about to get funky.''
''Lost'' returned with new episodes Wednesday. ''Get Rich or Die Tryin' '' opened the same day.
Channeling
Everybody Hates Chris: KPNZ Channel 24, tonight, 7. Chris has to do the laundry at the local laundromat and baby-sit his brother and sister at the same time.
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: KUTV Channel 2, tonight, 8. The forensics team investigates whether a police officer involved in a chase and shooting was killed by friendly fire.
The Apprentice: KSL Channel 5, tonight, 8. The contestants compete in a challenge involving marketing the latest "Star Wars" movie.
Reunion: KSTU Channel 13, tonight, 8. In tonight's episode, it's revealed which of the friends was murdered.
