Garcia Promoted to Series Regular on CBS’ “Hawaii Five-O”

Posted on March 13, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Jorge Garcia is heading back to Hawaii.

The 40-year-old Cuban/Chilean-American actor has been promoted to series regular on the recently announced fifth season of CBS’ Hawaii Five-O, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Garcia has guest-starred twice on the police procedural, portraying Jerry Ortega, a conspiracy theorist and former high school classmate of his former Lost co-star Daniel Dae Kim‘s Detective Lt. Chin Ho Kelly.

“Jorge very quickly made Jerry an unlikely and valuable part of the Five-O Ohana,” executive producer Peter Lenkov tells THR. “We have many opportunities planned to put Jerry’s unusual and infectious desire to put the bad guys to good use.”

The move brings Garcia back to Hawaii, where ABC‘s Lost filmed for six seasons.

In Hawaii Five-O‘s four-season run, the series has staged several Lost reunions, featuring guest turns from Henry Ian Cusick, Tania Raymonde, Cynthia Watros, Terry O’Quinn and Sam Anderson.

Garcia, who last year booked a role on CBS‘ drama pilot The Ordained, has guest-starred on ABC’s Once Upon a Time, CBS’ Becker, HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm and Showtime’s Californication.

The Hawaii Five-O promotion marks his latest series regular role following Fox’s Alcatraz.

Garcia to Star in the Zombie-Themed Horror Comedy “Cooties”

Posted on July 13, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

It appears Jorge Garcia has a serious case of the cooties…

The 40-year-old half-Cuban/half-Chilean American actor has signed on to star in the prepubescent horror comedy Cooties.

Garcia, who last starred in Fox’s short-lived drama Alcatraz, will portray a teacher in the film, which follows a zombie-like epidemic that originates from an infected chicken nugget and turns elementary school students into rampaging savages.

Written by Insidious’ Leigh Whannell and Glee co-creator Ian Brennan, the film also stars Elijah Wood, Alison Pill, Rainn Wilson, Jack McBrayer and Nasim Pedrad.

Filming is expected to begin on July 15 in LA with Jonathan Milott and Cary Murnion directing.

Garcia, who rose to acclaim on ABC’s Lost, most recently guest-starred on the fairy tale drama Once Upon a Time.

Garcia Lands Role in CBS’ “The Ordained” Pilot

Posted on February 23, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Jorge Garcia could be appearing on “the Eye network” in the near future…

The 39-year-old half-Cuban/half-Chilean American actor, who recently guest-starred on ABC’s Once Upon a Time, has landed a role in CBS’ drama pilot The Ordained.

Starring Charlie Cox and Nestor Serrano, the project centers on Tom Reilly (Cox), the son of a Kennedy-like family who leaves his life as a priest and becomes a lawyer at a noted New York firm to prevent his politician sister from being assassinated.

The Lost alum will portray Carlos, the law firm’s staff investigator.

Garcia’s television credits include a starring role in Fox’s short-lived series Alcatraz, as well as guest-starring role on Showtime’s Californication.

Garcia’s “Once Upon a Time” Appearance Scheduled for This Week

Posted on October 29, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Jorge Garcia is set to make a giant appearance on Once Upon a Time…

The 39-year-old half-Cuban/half-Chilean American actor/comedian and former Lost fan-favorite will appear on ABC’s hit fairy-tale drama as the giant from the Jack and the Beanstalk folktale, as previously reported this summer.

In the episode, Emma and Mary Margaret/Snow—in their attempt to find their way back to Storybrooke—must embark on a heist with a not-so-trustworthy Captain Hook.

According to the nefarious pirate, Emma and Mary Margaret must find a magical compass located up a treacherous beanstalk. But climbing the sky-high beanstalk isn’t the only challenge they’ll encounter since the have to steal the compass from a murderous giant, portrayed by Garcia, who last appeared on television on Fox’s short-lived Alcatraz series last season.

Meanwhile, in flashbacks, viewers will see Emma’s first meeting with a fellow thief who wants to make an honest woman out of her. While it’s unclear who’ll portray the fellow thief, recently released photos from the episode feature Emma in a car with a mysterious man (portrayed by True Blood’s Michael Raymond-James), who may possibly be Henry’s father.

Entitled “Tallahassee”, the new episode will air on Sunday, November 4 8:00 pm ET on ABC.

Garcia to Guest Star on ABC’s “Once Upon a Time”

Posted on August 30, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Jorge Garcia will soon be appearing in a giant role on one of last season’s biggest new series…

The 39-year-old half-Cuban/half-Chilean American actor/comedian will portray the Giant in an episode of ABC’s Once Upon a Time, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

With plans for a Jack and the Beanstalk episode, it’s believed that Garcia will appear in that hour of the ABC fairy-tale drama’s upcoming second season

The casting marks a reunion for all involved: Once Upon a Time showrunners Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis served as producers on Lost, on which Garcia played Hurley.

In the new season, Once Upon a Time will be introducing new characters Mulan (Jamie Chung), Sir Lancelot (Sinqua Walls), Sleeping Beauty (Sarah Bolger), Prince Phillip (Julian Morris) and Captain Hook (Colin O’Donoghue).

Garcia’s most recent stint was on Fox‘s sci-fi series Alcatraz as Dr. Diego Soto. He also signed on to guest star on Showtime’s Californication.

Once Upon a Time returns at 8:00 pm on Sunday, September 30 on ABC.

Garcia to Guest-Star on “Californication”

Posted on June 7, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Jorge Garcia is experiencing a case of Californication…

The 39-year-old half-Cuban/half-Chilean American actor/comedian has landed a guest-starring role on Showtime’s Californication.

Garcia will be reunited with his former Lost co-star Maggie Grace, who was previously cast in the major recurring role of Faith, a rock star groupie and muse who befriends David Duchovny’s character Hank Moody. Not surprisingly, their relationship becomes more than platonic.

Garcia, who most recently starred in Fox’s short-lived sci-fi series Alcatraz, will play an old contact from Faith’s past.

Grace first tweeted the news of their reunion, sharing a photo of the pair on set, saying:

“Cue music: ‘reunited & it feels so goood’ #lost reunion @Jorgegarcia & i join forces in upcoming #Californication ep!”

Since his days on the mysterious island on ABC’s Lost, Garcia has appeared on How I Met Your Mother, Fringe and the short-lived Mr. Sunshine.

Garcia’s Alcatraz Premieres Tonight

Posted on January 16, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

He played one of the most beloved characters on ABC’s Lost… And, now Jorge Garcia heading back to a different island… Alcatraz!

The 38-year-old half-Cuban/half-Chilean American actor will be returning to television on Fox’s highly anticipated series Alcatraz.

Premiering tonight, the midseason show presents Garcia as amateur Alcatraz historian Diego Soto, called upon by the government to investigate when inmates from the ’60s mysteriously start showing up in the present day.

Alcatraz has plenty of intrigue, but also plenty of comic relief from Garcia, who can effortlessly charm his way through the thickest of mysteries.

So how did Garcia, who didn’t know what his next role would be after winning the hearts of millions on Lost, end up on another J.J. Abrams-produced project?

“It was a weird moment of serendipity, in a way,” Garcia tells NYMag.com. “I came back to California and went back into my acting class. I was at one point sitting in that class thinking, Well, let’s see. It’ll probably be a while probably before I get, like, a big job. But right now, I could probably get work playing experts of some kind. And I actually did say ‘experts’ to myself. Then like, a day or so after that, suddenly they released a breakdown, or a character breakdown, for the Alcatraz script. And this part that I already knew they were looking at me for was described as an ‘expert.’”

So is Garcia worried about comparisons between his character on Alcatraz and his beloved Hurley on Lost?

“I’m not worried about it. I’m assuming that they’re going to happen. Ever since Lost ended — actually, correct that, even while Lost was still on, people were looking for what was going to be the next Lost,” says Garcia. “So I wasn’t that concerned. I figured I’m not going to be able to stop these people from trying to make a point of comparison. From the moment I got cast [in Alcatraz], I just knew it was going to be stuff like, ‘From one island to another,’ or those types of little clichés that they’ll use to describe my new job.”

Alcatraz’s two-hour premiere airs tonight on Fox at 8:00 pm ET.

Jorge Garcia Prison-Bound?

Posted on October 26, 2011 by Tom Castaneda

Former “Lost” star Jorge Garcia is jail-bound… But don’t worry; it’s not for committing a heinous crime.

The 38-year-old half-Cuban, half-Chilean actor and stand-up comedian will star as Dr. Diego “Doc” Soto, an Alcatraz expert and comic book aficionado, in J.J. Abrams’ new thriller “Alcatraz.”

One of the most anticipated new mid-season shows, the new FOX thriller is set in and around San Francisco and follows a team of investigators working on crimes committed by inmates who mysteriously vanished from Alcatraz Island’s notorious prison five decades earlier and come back to continue their evil ways.

The new series is getting a lot of comparisons to ABC’s cult classic “Lost,” which was co-created by Abrams. It’s doesn’t just feature Garcia—who played the lovable Hurley on the drama–but it focuses on a mysterious island, features an extensive use flashbacks and could even include some time travel.

“The big difference between this show and ‘Lost’ is that this show has an incredibly aggressive story engine,” says Alcatraz’s showrunner Elizabeth Sarnoff, who served as a writer on “Lost.” “There’s gonna be a bad guy they’re gonna have to catch every week. We want to answer these questions. We want to explore the mythology. We want to do flashbacks and see Alcatraz in [its] heyday.”

Debuting in January 2012 as a midseason replacement on FOX, “Alcatraz” will air on Mondays at 9 pm Eastern.

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