Evangeline Lilly has no regrets about walking away from Hollywood — but she admits the decision terrified her. In a rare interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) published October 19, the 47-year-old actress revealed that she has "always hated being famous" and described moments of "gripping fear" as she let go of the power, influence, and wealth that came with stardom.
"I've always hated being famous"
Lilly, best known for playing Kate Austen on Lost and Hope van Dyne (the Wasp) in Marvel's Ant-Man films, didn't mince words about her discomfort with celebrity life.
"I'd much prefer a quieter position. I've always hated being famous," she told CBN. "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."
Perhaps the biggest revelation from the interview: Lilly says she actually retired from acting in 2020, four years before she publicly announced her departure. The announcement came in June 2024 via a career-retrospective Instagram post, in which she shared a video recorded in 2006 — during her Lost years — in which she already talked about one day leaving acting to raise a family and do humanitarian work. "It's been six years now," she said.
The fear of letting go
Walking away was not easy. Lilly admitted to "moments of gripping fear" in which she questioned her choice.
"There has been definitely moments of fear of like, 'How do you consciously and intentionally let go of so much, seemingly, power and influence and potentially money and also just affirmation of yourself?'" she said. "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. How do you walk away from that?"
"But, ultimately, the decision was one that was made in great conviction," she added.
Lilly also cited "massive chronic health issues" she attributed to the demands of acting, her Christian faith — describing it as "incredibly liberating and beautiful to step into a total trust and surrender that God has a plan for my life" — and a long-held desire for more hands-on impact. Before acting, she studied political science and international relations with thoughts of becoming a humanitarian, missionary, or diplomat, and says she has spent 22 years doing hands-on humanitarian work in Rwanda.
What she's doing now
These days, Lilly is focused on writing. "I love telling stories, but I'd like to tell stories of my own instead of being in front of the camera," she said.
Her last live-action role was in 2023's Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania — her fourth appearance as the Wasp — after which she completed the film's press run. She does have a voice role in the animated film Legend of Destruction, about the Jewish revolt against Rome.
And she hasn't entirely closed the door. In her 2024 announcement she wrote: "I might return to Hollywood one day, but, for now, this is where I belong."
The takeaway: In an industry where stars claw to stay relevant, Lilly's deliberate, faith-guided exit — and her admission that fame was always the price she resented paying — is genuinely rare. As film critic Christian Toto noted to Fox News Digital, it's "extremely uncommon for stars to walk away from their acting careers... for some, like Lilly, they learn that an actor's life has too many drawbacks, and they seek something more fulfilling."
Sources: TheWrap, Entertainment Weekly, People, Fox News
Music in this post's reel: Kevin MacLeod - Life of Riley (incompetech.com), licensed under CC BY 3.0