'Lost' creator Damon Lindelof says Justin Theroux 'wasn't interested' in lead role that went to Matthew Fox

• Damon Lindelof said Justin Theroux turned down the role of Jack in "Lost."
• Lindelof said Theroux wasn't interested when he approached him about the role.
• The pair eventually worked together on HBO's "The Leftovers."

"Lost" co-creator and writer Damon Lindelof told Esquire magazine that he originally imagined Justin Theroux in the show's lead role of Dr Jack Shephard and attempted to cast the actor, but he wasn't interested.

During the first few seasons of the survival thriller, Jack, a former medical doctor, is the leader of the travelers who have been deserted on the island following a plane crash. The role was eventually given to Matthew Fox. But Lindelof said Theroux, who he describes as "very selective" about the roles he chooses, was on his initial casting list.

"Justin looking and sounding the way that he does, instantly the town decides, 'We're going to groom this guy to be the star of a Marvel movie,'" Lindelof said. "There's a reason that you look at his filmography and there aren't twenty-five movies and TV shows that he's worked on. It isn't for a lack of opportunity. It's because he's very selective about what he chooses to do. When we were casting 'Lost,' he was definitely on the Jack list. He wasn't interested."

Later, Lindelof recalls being shocked by the range of Theroux's talents after discovering that he had co-written the 2008 action-comedy "Tropic Thunder" with Ben Stiller.

"It was like, 'Oh my God, Justin Theroux's a comedy writer?'" he said.

Many years later, Lindelof once again turned to Theroux when casting roles for "The Leftovers," his follow-up to "Lost." But Lindelof said this time he initially had reservations about Theroux.

"I was like, 'That guy is way too good-looking to pull it off,'" Lindelof said. "Then he came in and read, and I was like, 'This guy is a very, very, very good actor, in spite of his good looks.'"

"The Leftovers" ran for three seasons and gained huge critical acclaim. The show is also the origin of the popular internet meme featuring Justin Theroux jogging in a pair of grey sweatpants that expose his genitalia. Lindelof said he now regrets the scene but at the time he believed it was a funny satire of the ways in which women are constantly objectified on screen.

"At the time, I just thought it was so funny that in a business and a culture that is constantly objectifying women, they were objectifying Justin. Now, in 2021, I look back and it feels pretty yucky," Lindelof said before adding that he apologized to Theroux.

"Justin and I were friends-are friends-but I was also his boss. It was my job to protect him instead of saying, 'Look at how funny it is that everybody is talking about your d---.'"

Speaking about the scene and its popularity online, Theroux said "it didn't feel great" but he "wasn't traumatized by it."

He said: "Look, I'm not saying objectification doesn't happen to men-of course, it does. But there's a kind of scrutiny that's placed on women that isn't placed on men. I have no idea what it feels like to have someone sell naked photos of me online. That kind of violation, I mean, I don't know if I'd get over it. And it's happened to women since forever. I think I have more sympathy for them than for myself."