‘Lost’ Alum Evangeline Lilly Seemingly Announces Retirement From Acting

Evangeline Lilly is taking a step back from acting. The actress, 44, announced on Instagram Monday that she would be “stepping away” from Hollywood for now, and that while she “might return one day,” she needs to “live out [her] vision.” 

Lilly, who is best known for her role as Kate Austen on Lost, shared a video on Instagram that was recorded in 2006 featuring her saying that she wanted to be a “retired actress” in the next decade. “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,” Lilly said in the video. “I’d like to be writing and influencing people’s lives in humanitarian ways.”

Also in the video was footage of Maya Angelou “perfectly articulating how I feel about life,” according to Lilly. “We’re all in process,” Angelou offers up in the video, adding later, “The only promise that will not be reneged upon is you will die. You may as well try to do some other wonderful things.”

In her caption for the video, Lilly wrote, “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.” She concluded, “A new season has arrived, and I AM READY…and I AM HAPPY.”

Lilly addressed her apparent retirement in a statement to Variety. “I have actually been on a hiatus from acting for the past three years already (since finishing work on Quantumania),” she wrote. “This time outside of the business has brought me a grounding sense of fulfillment and joy. 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.”

Following her step into the spotlight with Lost, Lilly has gone on to star in franchises that include the Hobbit trilogy, the Ant-Man trilogy and Avengers: Endgame.