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Rise to Fame
Desmond Hume wasn't supposed to matter. Cusick showed up as a recurring guest in Lost's second season, a Scottish-accented wildcard the writers kept alive episode to episode. He turned the role into an Emmy nomination for outstanding guest actor, and the producers brought him back as a series regular for the remaining four seasons. The casting came from a driveway: Cusick was staying at Brian Cox's house in Los Angeles when he met the next-door neighbor, Carlton Cuse, Lost's executive producer. He has said 'a seed was planted.' Months later, the audition tape landed.
In the Spotlight
Six seasons as Marcus Kane on The 100 is not an accident. After Lost, Cusick spent years as the reliable series regular (Scandal, MacGyver, recurring on 9-1-1: Lone Star), the kind of consistently employed actor who rarely makes tabloid headlines. The behind-the-camera work tells a different story. He wrote, directed, and starred in Salvador (2025), which premiered at the Hawai'i International Film Festival. He's building something.
Side Notes
Four countries before fourteen: Peru, Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, Scotland. His family moved enough that 'where are you from?' doesn't have a short answer. He trained at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and played Jesus Christ in The Gospel of John (2003) before landing in American television. His dual British and Peruvian nationality gives him a flexibility most Hollywood actors don't have. He's been based in Hawaii for years, which feels like the most permanent decision someone with that backstory could make.