Evangeline Lilly Tried To Turn Down Marvel's Offer To Co-Star In Ant-Man

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In the early 2000s, Evangeline Lilly, like all hard-working actors, spent a few years paying her dues. Look closely, and you'll see Lilly passing through a few episodes of "Smallville" or "Tru Calling." She was an extra in films like "The Lizzie McGuire Movie," "Freddy vs. Jason," and "White Chicks." By 2004, however, Lilly got an unexpected big break when she was cast as Kate in the hit series "Lost." That show, a freight train of popularity, skyrocketed its cast to fame, and Lilly was suddenly one of the most buzzed-about actresses in Hollywood. 

The "Lost" gig lasted six years, and Lilly appeared in 108 episodes of the series. She also continued to appear in high-profile feature films, showing up in the Oscar-winning "The Hurt Locker," and playing an elf in two of Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit" movies. She had perfected a certain kind of steely performance that casting directors loved. 

In 2015, Lilly played the superheroine the Wasp in Peyton Reed's "Ant-Man," a film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This made the already-famous actress even more popular, and she would go on to play the Wasp in several additional MCU films and ancillary media projects. According to Tara Bennett's and Paul Terry's 2021 book "The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe," however, Lilly almost turned down the role of the Wasp. It seems that she was considering retiring from acting altogether, and she had no affection for Marvel superheroes, so she personally had no reason to take the job. She changed her mind when she heard who would be directing "Ant-Man" and who her co-star would be. The real clincher, though, was that she'd finally be allowed to play a character who smiles and laughs. 

Lilly was presented with "Ant-Man" when it was still in its early stages of development, back when Edgar Wright was developing the project. Paul Rudd had already been cast as the title character by then as well, and these people made Lilly's ears perk up. She admitted in "The Story of Marvel Studios" that she wasn't a superhero fan, and didn't really bother to watch any of the extant Marvel films due to a complete lack of interest. "[It was] not because I had seen Marvel films and didn't like them," she said, "but because I was living under a rock, as I do." She also chuckled that there was a superhero called "Ant-Man," and joked that she thought her manager had made it up. "Have they run out of superheroes?" she remembers asking. 

But when she heard Edgar Wright would be directing, everything changed. Wright had made a name for himself directing energetic comedic pastiches like "Shaun of the Dead" and "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World," so Lilly was interested. Also, with Paul Rudd in the lead, she knew this would be a different kind of project. "Who are these that are making Paul Rudd a superhero?" she asked. "And they're letting Edgar Wright direct a tentpole superhero film? I love this!" 

It was also at about this point that Lilly was finally made savvy to the fact that "Ant-Man" was part of a series that began with Jon Favreau's "Iron Man" in 2008, which she actually had seen and loved. She started to do some homework, and found that she was actually very enamored of "The Avengers" as well.

Lilly admitted, though, that she liked the idea of "Ant-Man" primarily because of how much fun it looked. An action comedy was exactly what she wanted. She admitted that her gig on "Lost," while lucrative, was always intense. There was very little in the way of levity. A Marvel film, of course, would provide that levity. Many critics have complained that Marvel eventually became too quippy over the years, but when Lilly was looking over "Ant-Man," it was still the MCU's most popular selling point. Lilly said: 

"To see Marvel's cheekiness, and to see them wink at you and say, 'Isn't this fun?' I love that. Since I finished 'Lost," my goal in my acting career has been 'I want to have fun.' [...] [On 'Lost'] I was running in fear, screaming, crying, torn between two lovers — everything was angsty, except for maybe five percent of my days. [...] That was really the clincher with 'Ant-Man.' Realizing I could have a great time and be in the very good hands of people who really know how to make great films."

Lilly remained attached to the project even when Edgar Wright bowed out over creative differences. Peyton Reed stepped in and made a film that was well-liked and very successful; it made over $519 million at the box office. Lilly played the Wasp in Reed's sequel "Ant-Man and the Wasp" and, most recently, "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania." After that film, Lilly decided to retire, at least temporarily, to spend time with her family. Lilly got to star in "Lost," chased it with some superhero comedies, and is now living her private life.