‘Ant-Man’ star Evangeline Lilly is saying goodbye to Hollywood — for now

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Evangeline Lilly, who starred in the blockbuster movies Ant-Man and The Hobbit and the TV series Lost, has announced that she is leaving acting — for now.

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In an Instagram post, the former B.C. resident said: “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 fulfilment.

“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.”

The post was accompanied by a video of the actress recorded on the set of ABC hit series Lost, which ran from 2004-2010. In the video (watch it below), Lilly answers a question about where she saw herself in 10 years time.

She says in the video she would like to be a retired actress, have a family and, hopefully, influence people’s lives “in a more humanitarian way.”

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Lilley was born in Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., but grew up in B.C.’s Fraser Valley, graduating from W.J. Mouat Secondary School in Abbotsford. The story goes she was discovered on the streets of Kelowna by a Ford Modelling Agency rep. Lilly also attended UBC.

Lilly, a mother of two and the author of the children’s book series The Squickerwonkers, received backlash for attending a 2022 rally against vaccine mandates, which she later posted about on Instagram.

The controversial post shared a collection of pictures from a rally in Washington, D.C.

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Lilley told her followers in her post: “I was in DC this weekend to support bodily sovereignty while Canadian truckers were rallying for their cross-country, peaceful convoy in support of the same thing. I believe nobody should ever be forced to inject their body with anything, against their will, under threat of: violent attack, arrest or detention without trial, loss of employment, homelessness, starvation, loss of education, alienation from loved ones, excommunication from society, under any threat whatsoever.

“This is not the way. This is not safe. This is not healthy. This is not love,” Lilly continued. “I understand the world is in fear, but I don’t believe that answering fear with force will fix our problems. “I was pro choice before COVID and I am still pro choice today.”

In a subsequent online video Lilly addressed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau directly and asked him why he wouldn’t sit down and meet with those, including the trucker convoy, who were protesting the government’s vaccine mandates.

That video has since been removed.

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