Actress Evangeline Lilly Reveals She Is ‘Stepping Away’ From Hollywood

Evangeline Lilly attends the UK Gala Screening of Marvel's ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’, at BFI IMAX Waterloo in London, England on Feb. 16, 2023. Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for Disney

Actress Evangeline Lilly, who rose to fame playing Kate Austen on ABC’s hit television drama “Lost,” took to Instagram on Monday to announce that she is taking a break from acting indefinitely.

“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,” the 44-year-old wrote. “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.”

Ms. Lilly—who most recently starred in 2023’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania”—elaborated on her decision to leave show business behind in a statement shared with The Epoch Times via email, writing: “I have actually been on a hiatus from acting for the past three years already (since finishing work on Quantumania).”

“This time outside of the business has brought me a grounding sense of fulfillment and joy,” she continued. “I could return tomorrow, two years from now or never, but at the moment I am not actively pursuing any work in the industry and am not under any contractual obligations to anybody.”

Ms. Lilly was cast in some of her first on-screen roles in 2003, playing uncredited parts in “Stealing Sinatra,” “The Lizzie McGuire Movie,” and “Freddy vs. Jason,” according to her IMDb. She portrayed minor roles in “Smallville” and “Kingdom Hospital” before appearing in the 2004 film “White Chicks.” That same year, she landed a starring role in “Lost,” a part she helmed for six seasons until the show’s conclusion in 2010.

The actress went on to star in a slew of big-name films, including “Real Steel” (2011), “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” (2013), “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” (2014), “Ant-Man” (2015), “Little Evil” (2017), “Ant-Man and the Wasp” (2018), “Avengers: Endgame” (2019), and “Crisis” (2021), among others. She is also set to appear in the film “Happy Life,” which is currently in pre-production, alongside actress Alexandra Daddario and comedian Ike Barinholtz.

Indefinite Hiatus From Acting

During her break from acting, Ms. Lilly told The Epoch Times that she plans to continue devoting her time to her humanitarian work and writing, a sentiment she touched upon in her June 3 Instagram update. The post featured footage from 2006 that showed the Canadian actress on a beach discussing her hopes and dreams for the future.

“Ten years from now where would I like to be?” she asks. “I am terrified to admit this to the rest of the acting world, but ideally, 10 years from now, I‘d like to be a retired actress, and I would like to have a family, and I’d like to be writing, and potentially, um, you know, maybe influencing people’s lives in a more humanitarian way.”

A text overlay on the video depicts green checkmarks next to her goals, which included embarking on an acting hiatus, having a family and two kids, becoming a writer, and supporting humanitarian work. “I am so filled with joy and contentment today as I live out my vision,” she wrote in the caption. “Praise God, I feel so grateful for my blessings.”

Ms. Lilly shares two children, born in 2011 and 2015, with Norman Kali, a production assistant whom she reportedly met on the set of “Lost.” Mr. Kali was employed on the film crew for the show and has also worked behind the scenes on the television series “North Shore” and the 2004 comedy flick “50 First Dates,” among other projects.

Ms. Lilly published her first book in 2014, titled “The Squickerwonkers.” The children’s book series, which includes “The Squickerwonkers, Act 1: The Demise of Selma the Spoiled,” “The Squickerwonkers, Act 2: The Demise of Lorna the Lazy,” and “The Squickerwonkers, Act 3: The Demise of Andy the Arrogant,” follows a group of misfit outcast marionette puppets and a little girl named Selma—a story the actress conceived when she was only 14 years old.

Actress Evangeline Lilly attends the premiere of Disney And Marvel's 'Ant-Man And The Wasp' on June 25, 2018 in Hollywood, California. Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images

In addition to her writing, Ms. Lilly is heavily involved in various philanthropic endeavors, including the GO Campaign. “The Hurt Locker” star regularly encourages her social media followers to support the nonprofit, which works to improve the lives of children in need around the world.

In November 2023, the actress highlighted the organization’s efforts in the Middle East amid the ongoing conflict between Palestine and Israel.

“I have been, um, as stressed and distressed as the rest of you about the situation unraveling between Israel and Palestine, and I have no interest in talking about the politics of that,” she said. “But as most of you know, I have been in partnership with an organization called the GO Campaign for about the last decade, and they provide, um, help to children around the world who are vulnerable.”

She added: “They have on the ground local heroes that they work with on a regular basis both in Israel and in Palestine who work directly with children in need ... providing food, water, shelter, activities, warm clothing, and emotional support on both sides of the conflict.”