Evangeline Lilly on Why She Left Hollywood: 'I've Always Hated Being Famous'

Evangeline Lilly had the kind of career most actors only dream about. Kate Austen on“Lost.”Tauriel in“The Hobbit.”The franchises, the fan conventions, the premiere gowns. Then in 2020, she stepped back from acting, and now she’s explaining the decision in her own words. Speaking with CBN News, Lilly said she was drawn toward“total trust and surrender that God has a plan”for her life, adding,“I’ve always hated being famous. I never made any secrets about that.”

What makes her choice stand out is how clearly she saw the trade-offs. She walked away from power, influence, and potential money with what she describes as great conviction, while admitting there were moments of gripping fear over letting it all go. And this wasn’t a sudden pivot: before acting, she studied political science and international relations and wanted to be a missionary or diplomat, and she’s spent 22 years doing hands-on humanitarian work in Rwanda.

Now she’s voicing Queen Bernice in“Legend of Destruction,”an English-language version of a Hebrew film made entirely of still paintings. It tells the story of the Jewish revolt against Rome and the destruction of the Temple in the year 70, and Lilly says she was drawn to its warning about a divided society heading toward mutual destruction. Would you walk away from fame and money if your values told you to? Sound off in the comments.