Evangeline Lilly is stepping away from acting, at least for now.
The “Lost” alum, 44, announced her retirement on Instagram Monday, expressing that she is “so filled with joy and contentment” and ready to “live out [her] 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,” Lilly captioned a nearly 20-year-old video of herself. “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,” she added.
In the throwback clip, a young Lilly shared her dreams for the future, expressing a desire to be a retired actress, have a family with two kids, be a writer, and focus on humanitarian work.
Lilly, best known for her role as Kate Austen on “Lost,” shares a son and daughter with her longtime partner, Norman Kali. She also starred in Marvel’s “Ant-Man” as Hope van Dyne, reprising her role in 2018’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp,” 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame,” and most recently in 2023’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.”
Her other notable credits include roles in “Smallville,” “Real Steel,” and two films in the “Hobbit” franchise.
Throughout her career, Lilly has been candid about her experiences in Hollywood. In 2018, she spoke about a “bad experience” on the set of “Lost” that led her to refuse onscreen nudity for the rest of her career. “In Season 3, I’d had a bad experience on set with being basically cornered into doing a scene partially naked, and I felt had no choice in the matter,” she said at the time. “And I was mortified and I was trembling and when I finished it, I was crying my eyes out and I had to go on to do a very formidable, very strong scene thereafter.”
