Lost actor Harold Perrineau has revealed the stunning circumstances behind his character Michael's most controversial scene — and said that one of the actresses involved still won't speak to him now, 20 years later.

The scene in question is, of course, Michael's initial exit from the series in Season 2 episode Two for the Road, which sees the character shoot and kill Ana-Lucia (played by Michelle Rodriguez) and Libby (Cynthia Watros), two other series regulars who had only joined the cast that season.

It's a shocking moment that fans have long debated, and now, Perrineau has claimed he was the only actor on set that day who knew what was going to happen ahead of time. In other words, Rodriguez and Watros were told how they were being written off the show just moments before their final scene was shot.

While Perrineau refused to say which of the two actresses would no longer speak to him, he did confirm the star still felt "wildly betrayed" by what had happened, two decades on.

"So by that point, Michael had been off for awhile," Perrineau told The Independent. "They rang me, up and said, 'He's coming back and here's what he's gonna do. And we're not telling anybody until the day we shoot it.' I was like, 'What are you talking about?'

"This is really weird to say, but one of the actresses to this day still doesn't talk to me," he continued. "I didn't write it! I'm doing what you’re doing — I'm doing my job!'"

It's a brutal moment for all manner of reasons, not least because audiences were still warming to both Ana-Lucia (whose reception had initially been rocky) and Libby (who had been given little to do, other than the start of a sweet, blossoming romance with Hurley). The exit was also controversial for Michael, who murders two of his fellow castaways in order to secure a safe departure from the island with his son.

Reaction to the deaths at the time among fans was divisive, with some welcoming the exit of two characters that hadn't fully gelled with audiences, while others said it was a waste of potential.

In a TV Guide interview conducted the day after the episode aired, Lost showrunners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse went into detail on the behind the scenes decision to kill off Ana-Lucia, stating that Rodriguez had intentionally signed a one-year deal for the series, and that they had checked in with her shortly before writing her out to make sure she was still happy.

It's hard to re-read that interview now and see how that fits with Rodriguez being the actress shocked at getting killed off — but the possibility remains she didn't know exactly how it would happen, as Perrineau certainly seems to be suggesting. Alternatively, the actress upset at him is Watros, who departed the series before key aspects of her character (set up in prior flashbacks) were resolved.

Perrineau does not give a reason why both actresses were apparently kept in the dark about the details of their exits — whether this was to prevent spoilers leaking out, or to prompt more heightened reactions when the cameras started rolling. Regardless, other actors who subsequently departed Lost have discussed being called ahead of time to hear the news. And, ultimately, both Watros and Rodriguez returned during Lost's final season to make guest appearances.

As for Perrineau's character, Michael was later given a chance to atone for the murders — though not, it seems, enough for everybody involved.

Image credit: Mario Perez/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social