Cynthia Watros Looks Back on "Lost": 'It Was My Hardest Job'

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"Lost’s" Cynthia Watros on Hurley Love Story & Why It Was ‘One of the Hardest Jobs’ (Exclusive)
by Stephanie Sloane
Oct. 8, 2025


Cynthia Watros joined "Lost" on the October 12, 2005 second season episode “Everybody Hates Hugo” as Libby, a psychologist who emerged as one of the the “Tailies” — survivors from the tail section of Oceanic Flight 815.

When she got the initial audition material, Watros had no idea what she was getting into.



“To be honest, I never watched the show,” she reveals.

“It was on for a year, and I would hear people talking about it. When I got my sides, it was all very secretive. It was another character name, and she was in an office building, and then she was on an island, and I had to call one of my friends who watched Lost and say, ‘I don’t get it. Why am I in an office?’ And she was like, ‘Oh, this is what’s happening.’ And I got the lowdown on the show.”





After doing comedies, stepping into the mysterious, high-stakes world of "Lost" was a surprising pivot — especially since her character, Libby, ended up romantically paired with one of the show’s few sources of comic relief, Hugo “Hurley” Reyes (Jorge Garcia).

“They thought I was this funny person,” she explains. “And there were some jokes or something, and I guess I hit the jokes. She ended up with Hurley, and Hurley was sort of the funny character on the show.”




Once she got landed the role, things moved quickly for Watros.

“That was a rollercoaster,” she recalls. “They called me that day and they said, ‘You got it,’ and I moved to Hawaii in two weeks, and I had never even visited Hawaii. I grabbed my little twin daughters and found a house in Hawaii, and there I was.”




While paradise made a great backdrop, filming "Lost" was far from a vacation.

“It was probably one of the hardest jobs that I’ve ever done,” Watros says. “Most of the days were exterior shots, and you’d have to drive to this remote location. And I have a tendency of getting lost, so it would be like, ‘Go to the coconut tree, turn left when you’re at that old gas station,’ and I was like, ‘Oh, God.’”





Onscreen, "Lost" captivated viewers with mysteries that spanned six seasons. Offscreen, even the cast found themselves puzzling over the plot.

“I love how invested people got in the show,” Watros notes. “We would talk like it was some sort of purgatory, but I loved how the fans of the show really placed emphasis on certain numbers and certain things that happened and thought it all connected. Sometimes they were just numbers and didn’t mean anything, and sometimes the numbers did mean something, but I loved the passion around it all.”




Ultimately, the intense shoot schedule and shocking twists were worth it for a role that resonated with fans and left a mark on Watros herself.

“It’s nice when you’re on a show that people really, really look forward to watching and can’t wait for the next episode,” she reflects. “It was a challenging show, but I really enjoyed my time. The cast was great, the crew was great, and everyone was in it and doing it.”

https://www.remindmagazine.com/artic...nd-the-scenes/