Evangeline Lilly is setting off on a new adventure.
On Monday, June 3, the Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania star revealed she would be “stepping away” from acting, writing on Instagram, in part, “I might return to Hollywood one day, but, for now, this is where I belong. A new season has arrived, and I AM READY … and I AM HAPPY. 🕊️💪🏽😊.”
Lilly, 44, presented her caption alongside a video from 2006 — smack in the middle of her Lost years — which featured her on a beach speaking about her hopes for her future.
“I am terrified to admit this to the rest of the acting world but ideally, 10 years from now, I’d like to be a retired actress, and I would like to have a family,” she said in the clip, in part.
Lilly added, “And I’d like to be writing, and potentially maybe influencing people’s lives in a more humanitarian way.”
The video also featured footage of Maya Angelou “perfectly articulating how I feel about life,” in Lilly’s words, where the late legendary author, poet and civil-rights activist said, “We’re all in process.”
“The only promise that will not be reneged upon is you will die,” Angelou continued a little later in the clip. “You may as well try to do some other wonderful things.”
Lilly wrote in her caption, “I am so filled with joy and contentment today as I live out my vision. Praise God, I feel so grateful for my blessings.”
“Stepping away from what seems like the obvious choice (wealth and fame) can feel scary at times, but stepping into your dharma replaces the fear with fulfillment,” she added.
From L: Paul Rudd, Kathryn Newton and Evangeline Lilly in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania(2023). Marvel/ Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
Lilly had her breakout role on the TV series Lost, playing lead Kate Austen from 2004 to 2010. She later starred in films like The Hurt Locker and The Hobbit franchise before suiting up as Hope Van Dyne/Wasp in the Ant-Mantrilogy and 2019’s Avengers: Endgame.
During the Los Angeles premiere of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania in February 2023, Lilly told PEOPLE she has gained “major cool points” with her two kids for her role as a superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
“And I needed it so bad with my oldest son because he didn’t believe a word I ever said,” joked Lilly, who welcomed her firstborn, Kahekili, in 2011, and a second child in 2015.
“He didn’t give me credit for anything ever. Until suddenly, he got into MCU and he was like, ‘Oh, Mom’s cool,’ ” she continued. “And of course, the Marvel Universe is the thing in middle school.”
“I mean, there is almost nothing cooler. Maybe Lil Nas X might be cooler. Or Lazarbeam. But I’m up there with all those guys,” Lilly added.
