Ana Lucia Cortez

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Ana Lucia Cortez

Michelle Rodriguez as Ana Lucia Cortez
First appearance "Exodus: Part 1"
Centric
episode(s)		 "Collision"
"Two for the Road"
Information
Name Ana Lucia Cortez
Former
residence		 Los Angeles, California, USA
(Former) profession Police officer in the LAPD
Airport security guard
Portrayed by Michelle Rodriguez

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.

Rodriguez evoked controversy after being stopped by the police for driving under the influence a few weeks before her character was killed, leading to speculation that this was the reason for her character's death. The producers of Lost stated that Rodriguez was only interested in appearing for one season, so Ana Lucia's death was written in from the beginning. Ana Lucia was negatively received, due to her hostility and bullying, and many critics were pleased when the character was killed.

Contents

[edit] Arc

Prior to the crash Ana Lucia Cortez is an officer in the Los Angeles Police Department who becomes pregnant, but loses the baby after being shot by a suspect at a burglary scene.[1] She spends several months in physical and psychological therapy, and when the suspect is arrested, she refuses to identify him.[1] After his release, she kills him outside a bar.[1] Ana Lucia decides to leave the force and eventually finds work as an airport security guard.[2] She meets Christian Shephard (John Terry) at the airport bar, who asks her to accompany him to Sydney as a bodyguard, however in Sydney the two part ways.[2] Ana Lucia buys a ticket on Oceanic Flight 815 to return to Los Angeles.[2] In a brief flashback in the first season finale, she flirts with Jack Shephard (Matthew Fox) at a bar at the airport, unaware that he is Christian's son.[3] The pair arrange to continue their conversation during the flight.[3] During the flight the plane splits in half, with the two parts crashing on different sides of an island;[4] Ana Lucia is one of the tail section survivors.[5]

The story of how the tail section survivors cope during their first forty-eight days on the Island is shown in "The Other 48 Days".[5] After landing in the ocean, Ana Lucia does her best to help everyone in need.[5] That night, some of the survivors are kidnapped by the Others, the mysterious inhibitants of the Island, then a few nights later, nine more are taken.[5] During the second raid, Ana Lucia kills one of the Others and finds a list on him, which has descriptions of the victims.[5] Suspecting fellow survivor Nathan (Josh Randall) as a traitor, she moves everyone inland, digs a pit and throws him in it until he confesses.[5] When he disappears one night, the small group head further inland, discovering a bunker known as the Arrow.[5] Ana Lucia and Goodwin (Brett Cullen) trek atop a hill, where she tells Goodwin that she has worked out he is the real traitor.[5] After a struggle, she impales him on a broken stick, then returns to the group and tells them they are safe.[5] Fellow tail section survivors Libby (Cynthia Watros) and Cindy (Kimberley Joseph) bring Jin (Daniel Dae Kim) to her after discovering him washed up on shore.[5] He breaks free, so Ana Lucia follows and finds Michael (Harold Perrineau) and Sawyer (Josh Holloway).[5] Jin, Michael and Sawyer are thrown into the pit, and Ana Lucia follows, pretending to have also been captured.[6] Once she believes that they are fellow 815 survivors she releases them,[5] and they travel to the camp of the other survivors.[7] When they near the camp, Ana Lucia mistakes Shannon (Maggie Grace) for an Other and shoots her fatally.[7] The on-island events of "Collision" show her guilt after Shannon's death.[1] She has Shannon's lover Sayid (Naveen Andrews) tied up and refuses to let the group move on.[1] After some reasoning from Libby, she reluctantly lets them go.[1] She is invited into a bunker the fuselage survivors found to interrogate a man claiming to be Henry Gale (Michael Emerson), and manages to receive a map to his crashed balloon.[8] She takes Sayid and Charlie (Dominic Monaghan) with her, and eventually discovers the crash site, and the body of the real Henry Gale.[9] In her second centric episode, "Two for the Road", Ana Lucia attempts to speak to Henry again, but she assaulted by him and nearly killed.[2] Seeking revenge, she seduces Sawyer and steals his gun.[2] She returns to the hatch and attempts to kill Henry, but is unable to bring herself to do it.[2] She confides in Michael, who offers to kill him on her behalf, but upon handing him the gun, he shoots her in the chest, killing her.[2] After her death she makes two further appearances: in a dream to Mr. Eko (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) in "?",[10] and as a hallucination that Hurley (Jorge Garcia) has in "The Lie".[11]

[edit] Personality

Ana Lucia was described by Melanie McFarland of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer as "demanding", "hostile" and a "bully".[12] She called Ana Lucia a "brooding, broken ex-cop" with a "perpetual scowl". McFarland described the character as someone with a "take-charge nature", and an "inability to be reasoned away from her dictatorial decisions".[12] Anna Johns from AOL's TV Squad felt Ana Lucia is "abrasive and lack[ing] common sense or civility".[13] C. K. Sample, also from TV Squad, thought Ana Lucia was "angry", "power mad" and a "total nut job".[14] According to supervising producer Leonard Dick, "Ana Lucia is somebody who does not want to be a victim. She was a victim once and she swore to herself she would never be a victim again".[15] Rodriguez described the character as "very intuitive", adding "I like that the character is pretty much always aware and suspicious".[16] She is "street smart" and has a "speak-her-mind quality".[17]

[edit] Development

Rodriguez was only interested in appearing in Lost for a year.

In February 2005, Lost producers began looking for a Latina woman in her mid-thirties who would be the leader of the tail section, and a romantic interest for Jack.[18] Michelle Rodriguez's agent called the producers, informing them that Rodriguez was interested in the role, but only for a year.[18] Rodriguez, producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, and Lost creator J. J. Abrams met, and Rodriguez explained she would only be interested in one season because she was a "nomadic spirit", but would like to do one "kickass" arc.[18] The producers liked her energy, so agreed, with the plan to kill Ana Lucia at the end of the season.[18] Rodriguez felt she had been typecast in tough female roles, so wanted this role to be different.[17] Ana Lucia was planned to start as a tough character, because that is what the audience would expect, then the layers of the character would be gradually peeled back.[17] Rodriguez described Ana Lucia as an "animalistic type creature... tamed by the Island."[16] They reconstructed the character slightly to fit what they liked about Rodriguez, such as making her more "street smart" with a "speak-her-mind quality."[17] Ana Lucia made her first appearance in the penultimate episode of season one, in order to set up her character becoming part of the cast in the next season.[18] All Rodriguez was told about her character was that both she and her mother were in the police force.[15] Ana Lucia's style of leadership deliberately contrasts Jack's; Jack is a reluctant leader, whereas Ana Lucia becomes leader without being asked.[17] In her early appearances, Ana Lucia is shown to be very tough, so the flashbacks in "Collision", where it is revealed that she lost her baby, were used to show a softer side to her.[15]

On December 1, 2005, Rodriguez was stopped by the police for driving under the influence,[19] prompting speculation that it was the reason for her departure from the series.[20] The producers denied the claims, and stated that their plans for the character were already in place.[18] They considered not killing Ana Lucia so that it would not seem like it was because of the DUI, but ultimately decided to continue as they had originally planned.[18] Fellow Lost actor Cynthia Watros received a DUI that same night, and her character, Libby, was killed at the same time as Ana Lucia.[18] The producers found Ana Lucia to be an unsympathetic character, so Libby was killed at the same time to create an emotional impact.[21] The producers also denied that she was killed off because of Rodriguez's behaviour on set, saying that although they had no interaction with her, they had been told she had been professional.[18] Rodriguez felt comfortable on the series, but was happy to leave as she felt this would help her grow personally, and become a woman.[22] She had mixed feelings about leaving Hawaii, where Lost is filmed; her allergies were hard to deal with, but she loved the scenery.[22]

[edit] Reception

Melanie McFarland from Seattle Post-Intelligencer described Ana Lucia as "one of the most intensely hated characters on television [in the] fall [of 2005]", due to her being "hostile" and a "bully".[12] She added Ana Lucia murdering Shannon, "the least deserving of sympathy of all the previously known survivors", made fans hate Ana Lucia even more.[12] McFarland found that this makes "the creation of her character, and Rodriguez's hire, strokes of brilliant writing and casting on the part of Lost producers J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof", and described her as a "hero stewed in pathos".[12] Anna Johns from TV Squad was unhappy at the prospect of Ana Lucia's death, feeling that Ana Lucia was important because she was a "love to hate" character, she disrupted the Jack-Kate-Sawyer love triangle, and created conflicts, which make the show interesting.[13] Amy Amatangelo from Zap2it admitted she "enjoyed kind of loathing Ana Lucia".[23] In a later article, she described Ana Lucia's death as "a brilliant move", because "one of their own become one of them".[24] She added "nobody liked the Ana Lucia character anyway", but that did not stop it being "one of [the second] season's most jaw-dropping moments".[24] Alan Stanley Blair from SyFy Portal "cheered when she was shot".[25] Ana Lucia's death was second in IGN's list of the top ten Lost deaths, as she made an "immediate impact on the series" with an "unexpected end".[26] On the second season DVD, supervising producer Leonard Dick says "Michelle brought real strength, a dynamic element, to the role".[15] Michelle Rodriguez co-won the 2005 Screen Actors Guild Award for "Best Ensemble - Drama Series.[27] She also won an ALMA Award for "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a TV Series".[28]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Collision". Stephen Williams, Writ. Javier Grillo-Marxuach & Leonard Dick. Lost. ABC. November 23, 2005. No. 8, season 2.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Two for the Road". Paul Edwards, Writ. Elizabeth Sarnoff & Christina M. Kim. Lost. ABC. May 3, 2006. No. 20, season 2.
  3. ^ a b "Exodus: Part 1". Jack Bender, Writ. Damon Lindelof & Carlton Cuse. Lost. ABC. May 18, 2005. No. 23, season 1.
  4. ^ "A Tale of Two Cities". Jack Bender, Writ. J. J. Abrams & Damon Lindelof. Lost. ABC. October 4, 2006. No. 1, season 3.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "The Other 48 Days". Eric Laneuville, Writ. Damon Lindelof & Carlton Cuse. Lost. ABC. November 16, 2005. No. 7, season 2.
  6. ^ "Orientation". Jack Bender, Writ. Javier Grillo-Marxuach & Craig Wright. Lost. ABC. October 5, 2005. No. 3, season 2.
  7. ^ a b "Abandoned". Adam Davidson, Writ. Elizabeth Sarnoff. Lost. ABC. November 9, 2005. No. 6, season 2.
  8. ^ "The Whole Truth". Karen Gaviola, Writ. Elizabeth Sarnoff & Christina M. Kim. Lost. ABC. March 22, 2006. No. 16, season 2.
  9. ^ "Lockdown". Stephen Williams, Writ. Damon Lindelof & Carlton Cuse. Lost. ABC. March 29, 2006. No. 17, season 2.
  10. ^ "?". Deran Sarafian, Writ. Damon Lindelof & Carlton Cuse. Lost. ABC. May 10, 2006. No. 21, season 2.
  11. ^ "The Lie". Jack Bender, Writ. Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz. Lost. ABC. January 21, 2009. No. 2, season 5.
  12. ^ a b c d e McFarland, Melanie, (November 29, 2005) "Shedding Light on a Lost Villain", Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved on October 16, 2008.
  13. ^ a b Johns, Anna, (February 22, 2005) "The Five: Reasons NOT to kill off Ana Lucia", TV Squad. Retrieved on October 16, 2008.
  14. ^ Sample, C. K., (November 23, 2005) "Lost: Collision", TV Squad. Retrieved on October 16, 2008.
  15. ^ a b c d "Lost on Location - Collision". Lost: The Complete Second Season - The Extended Experience, Buena Vista Home Entertainment. Featurette, disc 7. Released on September 5, 2006.
  16. ^ a b "Lost on Location - The Other 48 Days". Lost: The Complete Second Season - The Extended Experience, Buena Vista Home Entertainment. Featurette, disc 7. Released on September 5, 2006.
  17. ^ a b c d e Lindelof, Damon & Cuse, Carlton, (November 21, 2005) "Official Lost Audio Podcast #3", ABC. Retrieved on October 24, 2008.
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h i Ausiello, Michael, (May 3, 2006) "Why Did Lost Kill Ana Lucia? Lindelof/Cuse Tell All!," TV Guide. Retrieved on April 22, 2008.
  19. ^ Associated Press, (May 4, 2006) "'Lost' Stars Michelle Rodriguez, Cynthia Watros Arraigned for DUI," Fox News. Retrieved on July 27, 2008.
  20. ^ Johns, Anna, (October 26, 2007) "Another Lost actor gets another DUI," TV Squad. Retrieved on May 26, 2008.
  21. ^ Ausiello, Michael, (May 10, 2006) "Why Lost Killed Libby," TV Guide. Retrieved on July 19, 2007.
  22. ^ a b Borod Wright, Liz, (May 4, 2006) "Lost Star Michelle Rodriguez Still Growing Up," ABC News. Retrieved on May 26, 2008.
  23. ^ Amatangelo, Amy, (April 15, 2006) "TV Gal Gets 'Lost' in Thought", Zap2it. Retrieved on October 20, 2008.
  24. ^ a b Amatangelo, Amy, (May 5, 2006) "TV Gal Is Simply Shocked", Zap2it. Retrieved on October 20, 2008.
  25. ^ Blair, Alan Stanley, (December 15, 2006) "Alan Stanley Blair Reviews BSG's 'The Passage'", SyFy Portal. Retrieved on October 20, 2008.
  26. ^ Carabott, Chris; Goldman, Eric; Iverson, Dan; Moriarty, Colin & Zoromski, Brian, (December 6, 2006) "IGN's Top 10 Lost Deaths", IGN. Retrieved on October 16, 2008.
  27. ^ SAG, (January 29, 2006) "Screen Actors Guild Honors Outstanding Film and Television Performances in 13 Categories at the 12th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards," Screen Actors Guild Awards. Retrieved on April 22, 2008.
  28. ^ "2006 Award Winners". National Council of La Raza. http://www.almaawards.com/2006-winners.html. Retrieved on 2008-03-04. 
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Ana Lucia • Ben • Boone • Charlie • Charlotte • Claire • Desmond • Faraday • Hurley • Jack • Jin • Juliet
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Supporting characters
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