Perrineau played Michael Dawson on the ABC drama.

Lost actor Harold Perrineau says former costar still won’t speak to him after series’ shocking death

Perrineau played Michael Dawson on the ABC drama.

By Sharareh Drury

April 27, 2026 4:12 p.m. ET

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Harold Perrineau on 'Lost'. Credit:

BOB D'AMICO/ABC

- Harold Perrineau revealed that one of two *Lost* costars whose characters were killed off in season 2 still refuses to speak to him 20 years later.

- Perrineau played Michael Dawson on the ABC sci-fi drama, appearing on seasons 1-4 plus a guest appearance in season 6.

- "I was wildly excited," Perrineau said of filming the shocking scene in which Michael kills off Ana and Libby.**

*Lost* captivated audiences when it premiered in 2004, delivering mystery, romance, and lots of twists until its series finale in 2010.

Harold Perrineau, who played Michael Dawson on the ABC series that* *followed the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 after they crash-landed on an uncharted island, is opening up about a devastating double death in the second season, which he says has resulted in a 20-year cold shoulder.

In the season 2 episode "Two for the Road," Michael murders Ana Lucia (Michelle Rodriguez) and Libby (Cynthia Watros) to free Ben Linus (Michael Emerson) and satisfy a deal with "The Others," who were holding his son, Walt (Malcolm David Kelley), hostage. The cold-blooded character deaths meant a quick end on *Lost *for Rodriguez and Watros, who had just joined as series regulars in season 2.

Speaking with *The Independent*, Perrineau says one of the actors, whom he did not specify, felt "wildly betrayed" over the shocking death and to this day doesn't speak to him.

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

** has contacted Rodriguez and Watros for comment.

Michelle Rodriguez, Cynthia Watros with Perrineau on 'Lost.'.

Mario Perez/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

Perrineau said that his initial reaction to Michael betraying his fellow islanders was both shock and excitement — especially because no one else on the cast knew what was coming.

"So by that point, Michael had been off for awhile," Perrineau said. "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?'"

Perrineau was told only the creators of the series — Jeffrey Lieber, J. J. Abrams, and Damon Lindelof— were aware of what would unfold come the day of the shoot.

"I was wildly excited," Perrineau continued. "So then we get there and the crew was setting up, and they were all looking around. They're like, 'What's going on?' Director comes on and goes, 'Okay, so here's what's gonna happen.' And we were like, 'Oh shit.' And I loved it. I was like, this is wild."

Perrineau, who currently stars in MGM+ sci-fi series *From*, shared that "the only thing bigger" than that shock was the news that his character would be leaving the series in the season 2 finale.

Michael officially leaves the island in the episode "Live Together, Die Alone" after securing a boat to rescue his son, Walt. He returns in season four to help Desmond Hume (Henry Ian Cusick), Sayid Jarrah (Naveen Andrews), and Jin-Soo Kwan (Daniel Dae Kim), who are on board the freighter *Kahana*. Michael and Jin-soo die after a C-4 bomb explodes on the freighter, which they initially try to defuse with liquid nitrogen.

Perrineau in 'Lost'.

MARIO PEREZ/ABC

In an interview with ** in 2008, Perrineau reflected on the totality of Ana Lucia and Libby's deaths, describing his character killing them off as one of his least favorite moments from the series.

"It was just really sad and I just wanted that day to be over," Perrineau said of filming the scene. "Because we all — can I say 'fell in love' without everybody getting all upset, thinking I was cheating on my wife? [*Laughs.*] We all fell in love. That was a bad day."

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Source: “EW Celebrity”