Elisha Cuthbert was “in shock” over Teri’s death

Devoted fans of Fox’s turbo-charged spy drama “24” weren’t the only ones who had to pluck their jaws from the floor when Teri Bauer (Leslie Hope) was killed in the show’s final episode. (Yes, Bauer really is dead.) Elisha Cuthbert, the charming 19-year-old Canadian who played her daughter, couldn’t believe it either.

“I was in shock. I really was,” she said. “It was sprung on us (the cast) quite quickly. We got the script only a couple of days before we shot it and I couldn’t believe it. But that’s television and that’s the life of an actor.”

I caught up with Cuthbert at KTVU Channel 2’s annual season-preview bash for advertisers last week at the Silverado resort in Napa, where she admitted she fretted for weeks that her character, Kimberly Bauer, would get offed by the producers after suffering through a ridiculous number of abductions.

“I thought it started getting repetitive,” she said. “I kept thinking: I just want to get out of this mess. I don’t want to get kidnapped anymore. … But I guess I’m lucky to still be alive and going on to next season.”

I did a double-take when first spotting Cuthbert at Silverado as she appeared in a white blouse (nearly buttoned down to her navel) and a snazzy three-quarter length black jacket. After all, we became so accustomed to seeing her for weeks of the “real-time”-styled “24” in that same ol’ sleeveless, form-fitting red-and-gold shirt.

“It’s tough being female and having to wear the same thing over and over,” she said, laughing. “I’m already prodding the wardrobe department to see if we can work out a six-outfit deal for next year. … But at least I’m not like ‘The Simpsons,’ who have worn the same clothes for years.”