Michael Emerson is a Lost actor who portrays Benjamin Linus. The following questions were submitted by members of the Lostpedia Forums, and by members of the Lostpedia wiki, and were sent via email. The interview was posted on December 19, 2008. Michael Emerson: One of the great mysteries of the show- Richard Alpert—love Nestor and the agelessness of his character—surrogate father/mentor but also maybe a corruptor. ME: Sometimes acting is not about the things you already are but about the things you wish you could be. We’re all capable of almost anything—Ben is not such a great stretch.