00s star announces sudden retirement from Hollywood: ‘A new season has arrived’-Asyia Iftikhar-Entertainment – Metro

Evangeline Lilly quits Hollywood in heartfelt social media post (Pic: Marvel)

Hollywood actor Evangeline Lilly shared she is quitting the acting industry but ‘might return one day’ in shock post.

The 44-year-old star rose to fame as Kate Austen in US drama Lost which ran from 2004 to 2010. Since then she has also appeared as the Wasp/Hope van Dyne in Marvel’s Ant-Man franchise and as Tauriel in the high-grossing Hobbit trilogy.

But her list of decorated acting credits may have just come to an abrupt end.

In an Instagram post on Monday, Evangeline shared a video of herself from 2006 while filming Lost, in which she talks about her dream of being a ‘retired actor’ in 10 years time.

She said in the video: ‘Ten years from now, where would I like to be? 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 have a family.

‘I’d like to be writing and influencing people’s lives in humanitarian ways.’

The Lost star Evangeline Lilly shared the major change to followers (Picture: Getty)

This was joined with a clip of famed poet Maya Angelou talking about the changing nature of life.

In the caption, the award-winning actor spoke about how they are ‘filled with joy and contentment’ as they live out their vision and feel gratitude for their ‘blessings’.

The Canadian star continued: ‘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.’

Fans shared their joy and sadness at her departure in the comments.

The actor was a breakout star from the hit drama Lost (Picture: ABC Inc/Everett/Shutterstock)

Evangeline starred opposite Paul Rudd in the Ant-Man franchise (Picture: AP)

‘We love you. this made me emotional, how beautiful to see you thrive in so many ways,’ @melodtricketts wrote.

‘You do you! We are forever grateful for the amazing work you have already done~ acting is just a small part of that! I want you to be happy and healthy!!’ @andipayne added.

‘I will never be enough grateful for what you’ve done for me without even knowing. It’s on us to accept and embrace the fact that we have the choice to inspire others and make a difference,’ @lost_theothers echoed.

The actor has had a turbulent few years in the media spotlight due to their controversial attitude towards the Covid pandemic.

They faced backlash due to their attitudes over the Covid-19 pandemic (Picture: AFP)

The Avengers star was originally forced to apologise in 2020 for her ‘insensitive’ comments about refusing to self-isolate – which also called out by Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner – as she told fans that she was ‘doing [her] part’.

Then in 2022, she stirred discourse once more after she was slammed for attending a protest against the Covid vaccine mandate, claiming it was ‘not safe’ or ‘healthy’.

In a statement to Variety about what she was doing now Evangeline explained she has ‘been on a hiatus from acting for the past three years’.

‘This time outside of the business has brought me a grounding sense of fulfillment and joy,’ she added.

‘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.

‘I am devoting my time to my humanitarian work and my writing.’

The Marvel star last appeared in 2023 film Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumaniabut may never reprise the role again (Picture: AP)

The actor has previously spoken about turning down a role in the X-Men franchise offered to her by Hugh Jackman himself.

‘I was like, ‘No. It doesn’t interest me. I’m not interested,’ she told the Happy Sad Confused podcast.

‘I was like, “I feel like such a dick because I’m talking to an X-Men! The X-Men! And I’m telling him, No, that doesn’t appeal.” Like, what?! I felt so rude!’

She added that she also turned down the role of Wonder Woman from Joss Whedon in a project that never took off as it just ‘didn’t appeal’.

It was almost a similar story for her superhero role in Ant-Man which she nearly turned down until her agent convinced her otherwise.

After being encouraged to watch the movies she realised: ‘Oh they’re doing something very different and very cool.’

Evangeline’s first credited role was in Kingdom’s Hospital as Benton’s girlfriend in 2004 before finding mainstream success in Lost. She also made uncredited appearances in The Lizzie McGuire Movie and White Chicks according to IMDb.

Prior to her acting career taking off, the star briefly worked as an air hostess.

‘The training’s six weeks. I did it for two months and then I showed up for a flight to Germany without my passport and I was like, “I don’t think this job’s for me” and I quit,’ she previously reminisced on the Jonathan Ross show.

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