Evangeline Lilly Once Almost Quit ‘Ant-Man’ Because She Thought Marvel Bullied the Original Director
Actor Evangeline Lilly made her debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Wasp in the film Ant-Man. However, she would consider walking away from the franchise altogether after director Edgar Wright’s departure from the project.
Evangeline Lilly almost quit acting after ‘Lost’
As many know, Lilly was already well-known for her role in the hit television series Lost. But although the role brought her a lot of attention in Hollywood, it wasn’t the kind of attention she was seeking.
“Basically, by accident, my first speaking role in film or television was Lost, and so I was instantly launched into international stardom, and that was really uncomfortable for me,” Lilly once said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “I instantly balked, didn’t know how to deal with it and felt very uncomfortable after that situation. I ended up deciding to retire after I finished Lost. I did a film called Real Steel with Hugh Jackman and then I walked away. I said, ‘I’m done, I’m never doing this again.'”
After she starred in 2009’s Real Steel, Lilly took a long break from Hollywood that lasted for two years. But it was The Hobbit that would later bring her back into the spotlight.
“I got a covert call from Peter Jackson, who I knew through my relationship with Dom[inic Monaghan] back in the day, and he said, ‘Nobody in Hollywood seems to be able to reach Evangeline, but we want to get a hold of her because we want to cast her in this film,'” she recalled. “And I was so torn because I had genuinely retired, I thought I was done, but I really wanted to do the movie. The little 13-year-old girl in me was like ‘I get to be a woodland elf? What?'”
Evangeline Lilly almost walked away from ‘Ant-Man’ after Edger Wright left
Baby Driver director Edgar Wright was originally behind the Ant-Man film before Peyton Reed helmed the project. For Lilly, Wright was one of the main attractions of Ant-Man, whose original idea for the movie she greatly enjoyed.
“I thought Edgar’s idea to blend the [Hank and Scott] stories was brilliant,” she said in an interview with Buzzfeed. “You’re going to have fans up there who insist that you tell the story of Hank Pym, and fans up there who will be more on the Scott Lang side of it. … I think we are going to come close to pleasing them all. And what’s cool is that, you know, Janet Van Dyne is my mom. Hank Pym is my father. I was raised by two superheroes. I’m no schlump. I’m a pretty smart, competent, capable, kick-ass female. She’s very cool.”
But when Wright left, this created some doubt in Lilly’s mind on whether or not she wanted to continue her role.
“You know, a creative project is a moving target. You never end up where you start. But we all, I think, signed on very enthusiastically with Edgar,” Lilly continued. “We were excited to work with Edgar. We were fans of Edgar. So when the split happened, I was in the fortunate position where I had not signed my contract yet. So I had the choice to walk away, and I almost did. Because I thought, ‘Well, if it’s because Marvel are big bullies, and they just want a puppet and not someone with a vision, I’m not interested in being in this movie.’ Which is what I was afraid of.”
Evangeline Lilly eventually understood why Edgar Wright couldn’t agree with Marvel
Lilly wasn’t sure about fully committing to the movie until she read the new script Marvel had in store for Ant-Man. And if she didn’t approve the script, she was fully prepared to walk away from the movie completely. But after seeing the new direction Marvel was taking Ant-Man in, the actor understood why Wright and the studio couldn’t work together.
“They were very different,” Lilly said. “And I feel like, if [Marvel] had created Edgar’s incredible vision — which would have been, like, classic comic book — it would have been such a riot to film [and] it would have been so much fun to watch. [But] it wouldn’t have fit in the Marvel Universe. It would have stuck out like a sore thumb, no matter how good it was. It just would have taken you away from this cohesive universe they’re trying to create. And therefore it ruins the suspended disbelief that they’ve built.”
Coming to terms with this, Lilly decided to stay on the Ant–Man film. She would later reprise her role in Ant-Man & the Wasp and Avengers Endgame. Lilly is also set to star as Wasp in the third Ant-Man movie Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
