Evangeline Lilly Explains Hollywood Exit, Citing Dislike of Fame and Focus on Faith
The "Ant-Man" and "The Hobbit" star revealed she stepped away from acting in 2020, prioritizing her faith and humanitarian work over celebrity.
Evangeline Lilly, known for her roles in major franchises like Marvel's Ant-Man series and The Hobbit, has detailed her reasons for stepping away from Hollywood. The actress, now 47, announced her retirement from acting four years after quietly ceasing her work in 2020, citing a desire to distance herself from fame and focus on her faith and humanitarian endeavors.
In a recent interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network, Lilly stated, "I've always hated being famous. I never made any secrets about that." She explained that she viewed fame as the "cost of the wealth that you can get as an actor," a price she was no longer willing to pay.
Lilly, who received a Golden Globe nomination for her role in the ABC drama Lost, has found guidance in her Christian faith following her departure from the industry. "It's just been incredibly liberating and beautiful to step into a total trust and surrender that God has a plan for my life," she said. "And that plan doesn't have to be about fame, and money, and wealth, and power, and that it can be about more important things."
The actress acknowledged that adjusting to retirement, which began six years ago, was a gradual process. "When you're successful at something, it feels really good when the world says, 'We love you! You're amazing!' Like, this is a wonderful feeling," she noted. "How do you walk away from that? And I've had moments of … gripping fear of like, 'What am I doing?'"
Before her acting career, Lilly studied political science and international relations, contemplating careers as a missionary, humanitarian, or diplomat. She expressed a desire for a more hands-on impact, noting her 22 years of humanitarian work in Rwanda. "I love telling stories, but I'd like to tell stories of my own instead of being in front of the camera," she stated.
Lilly gained initial recognition for her role as Kate Austen in Lost (2004-2010). She later portrayed Tauriel in Peter Jackson's The Hobbit films, The Desolation of Smaug (2013) and The Battle of the Five Armies (2014). More recently, she starred as Hope van Dyne, also known as Wasp, in Marvel's Ant-Man franchise, appearing in Ant-Man (2015), Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018), and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023). Her filmography also includes The Hurt Locker (2008) and Real Steel (2011).