Summary

Evangeline Lilly announces retirement for now, achieving goals of family, writing, and humanitarian work.

LOST
star reflects on fulfilling career, including awards for performances in various films and series.
Fans can catch Lilly’s
MCU
films on Disney+ and stream
LOST
on Hulu while she takes a break from acting.

All good things must come to an end, and for MCU and LOST star Evangeline Lilly, that end appears to be now. The 44-year-old actress got her start in 2002 with an appearance on the TV series Smallville, and has since found great success on both the big and small screens, starring in the hit TV series LOST, and appearing in Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy. Lilly’s last appearance on-screen was in 2023’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, where she reprised her role of Hope van Dyne, aka Wasp.

Taking to her Instagram account recently, Evangeline Lilly shared a nearly 20-year-old video of herself as a young woman on the set of LOST speaking about her hopes and dreams for the future. Talking about where she’d like to see herself in 10 years, a smiling Lilly said she’d “like to be a retired actress” and “have a family,” as well as be a writer, while at the same time focusing on “influencing people’s lives in a humanitarian way.”

Lost Release Date September 22, 2004 Seasons 6

As she made mention of each goal, a green check mark appeared, signifying that the elder Lilly had accomplished the things she set out to do all those years ago, including retiring from acting. She said that while stepping away from “the obvious choice (wealth and fame) can feel scary at times,” she says she’s ready for the new “season” that has arrived.

“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 fulfillment. 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.”

Check out Evangeline Lilly’s full post from Instagram below where she announces her retirement from acting “for now.”

Evangeline Lilly Has Enjoyed An Award-Winning Career

First getting her start on Smallville in 2002 with a few appearances in the superhero series, Lilly would go on to have bit-parts in Tru Calling (2003) and the miniseries Kingdom Hospital (2004). Her big screen roles early on included parts in The Lizzie McGuire Movie, and Freddy vs. Jason, both in 2003.

However, it was her breakout role as Kate Austen on the ABC series LOST in 2004 that really jump started her career. Lilly would go on to be an integral part of the hugely influential TV show that lasted for six seasons, appearing in 108 of the 121 episodes that were broadcast. She earned a Screen Actors Guild Award for her efforts as part of the series’ 2006 win for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.

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The awards didn’t stop there, as Lilly would also earn trophies for her performances in The Hurt Locker (2010), The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2014), and South of Heaven (2021). While she was never nominated for a coveted Oscar or Emmy Award, Lilly has certainly had a fulfilling career that has taken her all across the globe, experiencing things that no award can offer.

As she says goodbye to acting for now, fans will remember her fondly as Hope van Dyne in the MCU, where she appeared in a total of four films, beginning with 2015’s Ant-Man, and ending with 2023’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Should she choose to return to acting one day as stated in her Instagram post, we’ll keep our fingers crossed for more appearances in the beloved franchise.

LOST
is available to stream on
Hulu
, while Lilly’s MCU movies are available to stream on
Disney+
.