'Lost' producers say characters' shootings unrelated to actors' arrests

Those connected with ABC TV's hit series "Lost" say the on-screen shootings of two characters were unrelated to the recent arrests of the actors who play them.

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Michelle Rodriguez, who plays Ana-Lucia Cortez, and Cynthia Watros, whose character is simply known as Libby, were arrested minutes apart in Hawaii on Dec. 2 and charged with drunken driving. Watros was sentenced to community service and fined while Cortez spent four days in jail last week.

Rodriguez told ABC's "Good Morning America" Thursday the demise of her character "was planned from the beginning." She said she knew Ana-Lucia's days were doomed, adding: "I feel bad cause I didn't even tell the cast members."

Series executives are quoted by TVGuide.com saying the legal woes of the two actresses had nothing to do with the shootings on Wednesday's show, but experts were not so sure.

"The shootings sent shockwaves, but what immediately and unfortunately comes to mind is the DUI arrests," MediaWeek.com TV analyst Marc Berman told TVGuide.com.

"Were the producers trying to do the right thing ethics-wise, or is the (presumed) double departure really that pivotal to the storyline? Until we get answers and get them by season's end, killing off two characters at once would be an ultimate suicide mission."