She won a Daytime Emmy Award in 1998 for her portrayal of mentally-unstable nurse Annie Dutton, and now she’s the latest passenger of Oceanic Flight 815 to find herself ‘Lost.?
Actress Cynthia Watros, who played Dutton on the daytime soap opera ‘The Guiding Light,? has come a long way from her days as a student at Lake Orion High School, where the 1986 graduate took an acting class.
She was recently added to the cast of the hit ABC drama ‘Lost,? as Libby, a mysterious character who may or may not have been in the tail section of Oceanic Flight 815 when it crashed last fall.
Prior to joining the cast of Lost, Watros, 37, also had roles on the since-cancelled Fox comedy ‘Titus,? where she starred with comedian Christopher Titus.
Watros also had a role on ‘The Drew Carey Show.?
Watros currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband, L.A.-restaurateur Curt Gilliland, and their children. She still has family in Oakland County, including her uncle Robert and aunt Toni Watros of Lake Orion, and her father Bruce Watros, who lives in Holly.
‘She’s already in Hawaii (where Lost is filmed),? said Bruce Watros.
‘She loves it and she’s very excited. She’s done a lot of comedy, so she is looking forward to doing something a little more serious.?
Bruce said he was able to speak to Cynthia recently. She was last in the Lake Orion-area in July for a family reunion.
‘She lives in L.A.,? he said. ‘She hasn’t had a chance to meet the whole cast (of Lost) yet, because they are split into two groups.?
Bruce said Cynthia isn’t sure yet if she will have to permanently relocate to Hawaii.
‘They have a house in L.A., but if they need to, they’ll buy a house in Hawaii,? he said. ‘She usually visits in Michigan about once a year.?
Watros? first appearance on Lost was in the episode that aired on Oct. 12, which Bruce said he wasn’t able to see.
‘I didn’t get to see that episode, but I knew her role in the first one would be minimal,? he said. ‘I’ll be taping all the other ones though, and watching them all a couple of times.
‘She’s very happy,? Bruce added. ‘Her days are quite long though.?
In a 1995 interview with The Lake Orion Review, just after being added to the cast of Guiding Light, Watros talked about her past and said she first got serious about acting while attending Macomb Community College.
‘I had an acting class in high school, but I screwed up. I blew it off,? she said.
She saw a poster for an audition at MCC, and met Dr. Nancy Arnfield.
‘It was the only thing where I felt I clicked,? Watros said.
From there she went to Boston University, where she won a $15,000 career entry award. She used the money to move to New York in 1993.
‘I’ve been very lucky,? Watros said.