Evangeline Lilly Announces She's 'Stepping Away' from Acting, Fulfilling 20-Year-Old Vision

Her message came alongside a video she filmed at the heights of her career when Lost was one of the biggest shows on television. In it, the Ant-Man and the Wasp star says, "I'm terrified to admit this to the rest of the acting world, but ideally ten years from now, I'd like to be a retired actress."

She went on to add, "I would like to have a family and I'd like to be writing and potentially ... maybe influencing people's live in more humanitarian ways."

The video was originally shared by Lost fan account, Lost The Others, which punctuated the footage with evidence of her fulfilling these ambitions. First, they noted a 2024 Instagram comment in which Lilly wrote she was on an "indefinite hiatus" from acting and "living my dreams of being fully in my joy." They also noted she now has a "family and 2 kids," has achieved her writing dream with her Squickerwonkers children's book series, and focuses on humanitarian work.

She paired that video with another one from Maya Angelou articulating that "this too will change" about her own successful and comfortable circumstances. "I didn't come here to stay," Angelou said in the interview, "I didn't come to this earth to stay."

"I'm in process," Angelou argued, "So I do the best I can all the time and I say, 'bye.' I may weep and gnash my teeth and wring my hands, but I'm gone." She went on to encourage more people to be "restless" in their lives.

In her caption, Lilly wrote that the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet was "perfectly articulating how I feel about life" in her message.

"I am so filled with joy and contentment today as I live out my vision. Praise God, I feel so grateful for my blessings," Lilly wrote. "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."

She then teased that fans may see her again on the screen, adding, "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. 🕊️💪🏽😊"

Lilly has been in a relationship with Norman Kali since 2010. The couple first met on the production of Lost. They welcomed their first son, Kehekili, in 2011 and a second child in 2015. They have not publicly revealed the name or gender of this child.