Boone was the focus of "Hearts and Minds", a character who had not yet had his backstory told.[2][1] Ian Somerhalder was the first actor cast in the series; while the role required him to find life living in the wild foreign and difficult, the actor was raised on a Louisianan ranch and was thus used to "learn[ing] how to survive."[4] He said, "[Boone] was very fragile in [the Island's] environment, where I wouldn't have been."[4] The episode's guest stars included Charles Mesure as Bryan, Adam Leadbeater as Malcolm, and Kelly Rice as Nicole.[5]