Evangeline Lilly says she “always hated being famous.” The actress has stepped away from Hollywood after years of wanting a different life.
The actress, 47, discussed that decision in a CBN News interview covered by the outlet on October 19. She recalled moments of “gripping fear” as she questioned what her life would look like outside the industry.
Lilly became internationally known as Kate Austen on Lost, then joined two major film franchises. She played Tauriel in The Hobbit and Hope van Dyne in Marvel’s Ant-Man movies.
She also described chronic health problems before retirement. “My health has dramatically improved,” she said, according to Fox News.
Lilly Feared Losing the Approval That Came With Success
In her conversation with CBN News, Lilly acknowledged the difficulty of voluntarily surrendering money and influence. Being celebrated for doing something well felt good, and she wondered how she could willingly stop receiving that reassurance.
She had long regarded fame as the price of an actor’s earning potential. Now, she wants to tell her own stories and contribute away from the camera.
Her Christian faith helped her commit to the decision despite those doubts. Lilly described trusting that God had a plan for her life, even when she couldn’t anticipate the consequences of leaving her profession.
She Had Been Trying to Leave Acting for Years
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In a video recorded in 2006, while she was starring on Lost, Lilly was asked where she hoped to be in 10 years. She wanted to be retired from acting, raising a family and perhaps working as a writer or humanitarian. She shared the clip on Instagram on June 3, 2024, saying she felt fulfilled by the life she had created.
Her first departure came after Lost ended and she filmed Real Steel with Hugh Jackman. In a 2018 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, she recalled having a baby, writing scripts and going roughly two years without contact with Hollywood. Peter Jackson eventually reached her about The Hobbit, and the chance to play a woodland elf persuaded her to return.
By February 2023, she told Esquire she had attempted retirement three times. Her agents had been on standby for about two years, and she wasn’t reading scripts or taking meetings. She had also deliberately limited her workload and remained in Hawaii after Lost, instead of moving to Los Angeles.
In a June 2024 statement to Variety, she said she had already been on hiatus for three years, since finishing Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. She left open the possibility of returning, while saying she was neither pursuing acting work nor under contractual obligations.
Her Humanitarian Ambitions Predate Her Acting Career
Before entering entertainment, Lilly studied political science and international relations and imagined becoming a missionary, diplomat or humanitarian. She told CBN she wanted to help people directly and had already spent 22 years doing hands-on humanitarian work in Rwanda.
In a separate August 27 interview with The Christian Post, she described spending her time studying and reading, with a particular interest in faith, philosophy and human history.
A Film Made From Paintings Gave Her a Different Kind of Role
Lilly voices Queen Berenice and serves as an executive producer on the English-language version of Legend of Destruction. Directed by Gidi Dar, the historical drama depicts the Jewish revolt against Rome and the destruction of Jerusalem’s Second Temple in 70 A.D. Oscar Isaac, Elliott Gould and Billy Zane also contribute voices.
The Hebrew film was released in 2021. Lilly told CBN she watched that completed version before joining the English cast and was drawn to its depiction of people turning against one another while facing an external threat. Berenice must navigate the struggle between protecting her people and preserving her own position.
Artists David Polonsky and Michael Faust created approximately 1,500 paintings, which the film combines with camera movement, sound and vocal performances. In her Christian Post interview, Lilly praised that handmade approach as a celebration of human artistry amid the growing use of artificial intelligence.
The English-language version reached digital platforms on September 15, 2026, according to the film’s official release announcement.