Despite the heroic efforts of Jack (Matthew Fox), Boone died in Wednesday's episode from injuries he suffered when a wrecked plane he was crawling around in slipped from a tall tree and fell to the ground.

''I am hoping that I will [return],'' Somerhalder said in a phone interview Friday from Oahu, Hawaii, where the series is filmed. ''I am not sure that I am, but . . . it's 'Lost,' so you truly never know.''

Boone was the first major character to be killed off the show, which revolves around a group of plane-crash survivors stranded on a mysterious South Pacific island. Somerhalder, 31, said all the series' regulars were told there was a chance their character could die during the course of the season.

''We are on this island that is the most dangerous place,'' said the former model. ''It would be illogical if there weren't casualties, and the cold hard reality is that people are going to die.''

But Somerhalder isn't headed for the unemployment lines anytime soon. He recently signed a deal with ABC/Touchstone. ''It is for a couple of things,'' he said. ''A one-hour drama most definitely.''

The blond, blue-eyed actor, previously seen in the 2000 WB series ''Young Americans'' and 2002 feature ''The Rules of Attraction,'' learned on Jan. 24 that Boone was going to meet his maker.

''Actually, I only remember that [date] because it was right after the Golden Globes,'' he said, laughing. ''I was in the wine country wine tasting when I found out, which made it a little easier.''

But Somerhalder said he wasn't really upset about the demise of his character.

''I didn't even think about it,'' he said. ''That is one of those things. It was more about, 'Shoot. I am going to have to leave Hawaii and leave this group of people I adore.' ''

Web sites and publications have been questioning whether Boone might pop up on subsequent episodes, but mum's the word from Somerhalder.