Rodriguez Puts Films on Hold for 'Lost'
By John Crook
Zap2it
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So far, she's still acting largely on faith. Her character, Ana-Lucia Cortez, was introduced last May in a three-minute flashback scene in the airport lounge, where she chatted with Jack (Matthew Fox), and we learned, among other things, that she held a seat in the rear of the doomed flight.
Ana-Lucia seemed very feminine and flirtatious in that flashback scene, but "Lost" fans are seeing a whole different side of the character this season.
"She's a cornered animal, a total warrior: a fighter, take it down, matter-of-fact, all about survival," Rodriguez says of her character, who is living with another group of people on the island. "These people don't have a lot of the amenities that the people [in Jack's group] do, so they are constantly fighting for their survival."
The actress insists she has very little idea what lies in store for her character, but she looks forward to what may be an inevitable reunion with Fox's character.
"I think that connection [between the 'old' and the 'new' Ana-Lucia] is going to come whenever my character finally meets Jack, because that's the only person she will recognize from the plane," Rodriguez says "That will call into question the whole issue of what kind of person she is really, because this whole barbarian side of her is definitely a self-defense mechanism.
How will she feel when she sees Jack, who is someone she trusts? I have no idea what that will be like -- and having said all that, at this point, I don't even know if they are going to meet at all."
In fact, the actress claims to be unsure of whether she even qualifies as a new "series regular" on "Lost."
"It's still kind of up in the air, if only because the show itself is very unpredictable as far as how long anyone is going to last," she says, laughing. "I'm not comfortable suggesting that my character is more important than another one, because 'Lost' isn't that kind of show. Every week you focus on a different character, so it's like there is no 'lead.' Different characters take charge in different situations, but it's everybody's story."
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