 Overall , the character was positively received . The first week he was on the show , Akinnuoye @-@ Agbaje received a lot of fanmail , much to his surprise . Craig Berman of MSNBC called Mr. Eko " one of the most creatively complex characters on the island " . The Los Angeles Times depicted him as " the island 's favorite ' tailie ' " . IGN named him the third best character from the first three seasons of Lost , behind Hurley and Locke . Akinnuoye @-@ Agbaje 's performance was praised by critics ; Tim Goodman of the San Francisco Chronicle said he was " probably the best actor in the cast " . In 2006 , Akinnuoye @-@ Agbaje shared the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series with the cast of Lost ; they were also named " Entertainers of the Year " by Entertainment Weekly . He was also nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor on Television in 2005 , but lost the award to Masi Oka of Heroes . 
