It’s been two years since star Evangeline Lilly announced her plans to leave Hollywood behind. The “Ant-Man” and “The Hobbit” star said that decision didn’t come without a bit of fear.
“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,” Lilly told the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) in an Oct. 16 interview. “How do you walk away from that? And I’ve had moments of gripping fear, of like, ‘What am I doing?’ But, ultimately, the decision was one that was made in great conviction.”
But walk away from it Lilly did. Though the actress didn’t announce her departure from the spotlight until a career retrospective Instagram post in 2024, she told CBN that she actually made the decision to retire all the way back in 2020 — although, she did participate in the press run leading up to the release of “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” in 2023. That was Lilly’s fourth live-action appearance as Hope van Dyne, a.k.a. The Wasp, and her final role in a narrative feature to date.
“I love telling stories, but I’d like to tell stories of my own instead of being in front of the camera,” Lilly said. “I’d much prefer a quieter position. I’ve always hated being famous. I never made any secrets about that. I’ve always said being famous is the cost of the wealth that you can get as an actor. Like that’s what you pay for the wealth.” You can watch the full interview below.
Lilly explained that some of her decision to step away stems from her studying political science and international relations prior to acting, setting her sights on making “the world a better place.”
“There are many people who will claim that actors are making the world a better place, that they’ve had an impact on their lives,” she said. “But I’ve always wanted a much more hands-on impact. I’ve done 22 years of hands-on humanitarian work in Rwanda, and I want more of that.”
