Before Matthew Fox landed the role on ABC's acclaimed drama, producers were looking at a big name, like Michael Keaton. The idea was to have Keaton as Jack, but kill the character off in the first episode.
"I said, 'I'll seriously consider it, send me the script,'" Keaton said. "[J.J. Abrams] said, 'No, we're keeping the guy alive,' and I said, 'Oh, ok, well I can't do that.'"
Jack lived and Fox landed the role.