Ana Lucia Cortez
Ana Lucia Cortez is a fictional character on the ABC television series Lost, played by Michelle Rodriguez. Ana Lucia made her first appearance as a guest star in the first season finale, and became part of the main cast for season two. After Oceanic Flight 815 splits in mid-air, the tail section and fuselage crash on opposite sides of a mysterious island. Ana Lucia becomes the leader of the tail section. Flashbacks in her two centric episodes, "Collision" and "Two for the Road", show her life as a police officer before the crash.
| Ana Lucia Cortez | |
|---|---|
| Lost character | |
Michelle Rodriguez as Ana Lucia Cortez in 2005. | |
| First appearance | "Exodus" (2005) |
| Last appearance | "What They Died For" (2010) |
| Created by | |
| Portrayed by | Michelle Rodriguez |
| Centric episode(s) | "The Other 48 Days" "Collision" "Two for the Road" |
| In-universe information | |
| Full name | Ana Lucia Cortez |
| Species | Human |
| Gender | Female |
| Occupation | Police officer in the LAPD Airport security guard |
| Nationality | American |
| Former residence | Los Angeles, California, USA |
Rodriguez provoked controversy after being stopped by the police for driving under the influence midway through the second season's production. This led to speculation that this was the reason for her death in an episode that aired 5 months later. The producers of Lost claimed that Ana Lucia's death was written in from the beginning. Later, in a 2020 podcast, Lindelof confirmed Rodriguez expressed interest in continuing the role beyond her one-season deal, but they revealed they had already planned her death storyline. In 2023, Maureen Ryan reported various allegations of Lindelof and Cuse fostering a toxic work environment. Several sources corroborated claims of Rodriguez being fired due to her December 2005 arrest and the writers' room fostering a racist environment to mock her circumstances. She is shot and killed by Michael Dawson.