{"id":53069,"date":"2026-10-22T10:27:08","date_gmt":"2026-10-22T14:27:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/?p=53069"},"modified":"2026-10-22T10:27:08","modified_gmt":"2026-10-22T14:27:08","slug":"actress-evangeline-lilly-flees-hollywood-god-has-a-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/2026\/10\/actress-evangeline-lilly-flees-hollywood-god-has-a-plan.html","title":{"rendered":"Actress Evangeline Lilly Flees Hollywood: \u2018God Has a Plan\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Tinseltown \/ Shutterstock.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Actress Evangeline Lilly has had a sweeping Hollywood career, playing beloved characters in TV shows like \u201cLost\u201d and films like \u201cThe Hobbit.\u201d<\/p>\n

But despite a wildly popular career, Lilly decided back in 2020 to step back from Hollywood \u2014 a decision that sparked quite a bit of media interest.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been six years now,\u201d she said, noting the media caught on to the story after she posted a retrospective in 2024. \u201cWhen I was 26, I was saying \u2026 all the things I wanted in my life \u2026 and I did it \u2026 I\u2019m there,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019ve already retired [by 2024 when the retrospective came out]. At that point, I\u2019ve been retired for four years \u2026 it\u2019s been a long time of adjusting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lilly said she had no idea what the \u201cconsequences\u201d of her decision might be, though she described moments of fear as she \u201clet go of so much \u2026 power, influence, and potential money.\u201d There was also the affirmation piece of the puzzle.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you\u2019re successful at something, it feels really good when the world says, \u2018We love you! You\u2019re amazing!\u2019 Like, this is a wonderful feeling,\u201d Lilly said. \u201cHow do you walk away from that? And I\u2019ve had moments of \u2026 gripping fear of like, \u2018What am I doing?\u2019 But, ultimately, the decision was one that was made in great conviction.<\/p>\n

Before becoming an actress, Lilly studied political science and international relations and wanted to become a missionary, humanitarian, or diplomat.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to make the world a better place,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd there are many people who will claim that actors are making the world a better place, that they\u2019ve had an impact on their lives. But\u2026I\u2019ve always wanted a much more hands-on impact. I\u2019ve done 22 years of hands-on humanitarian work in Rwanda.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Lilly said she wants to do more and wants to help people heal and find wholeness.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love telling stories, but I\u2019d like to tell stories of my own instead of being in front of the camera,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019d much prefer a quieter position. I\u2019ve always hated being famous. I never made any secrets about that. I\u2019ve always said being famous is the cost of the wealth that you can get as an actor. Like that\u2019s what you pay for \u2014 the wealth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, she feels liberated and said she has stepped into a \u201ctotal trust and surrender that God has a plan for my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite mostly stepping out of Hollywood, Lilly is now lending her voice to a different type of project: \u201cLegend of Destruction<\/a>,\u201d a film that tells the \u201cstory of the Jewish revolt against Rome, which ended with the destruction of the Temple in the year 70.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe film was originally made in Hebrew, and so I actually was able to see the fully completed piece before I came on board for the English version,\u201d she told CBN News. \u201cI didn\u2019t understand what I was looking at. I didn\u2019t understand what I was being invited into, but I watched the film, and within the first\u2026three to four seconds of the film, I felt like I was just completely immersed in a way that most films don\u2019t do for me anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

What makes \u201cLegend of Destruction\u201d unique is that it\u2019s made of still paintings, with Lilly, who portrays Queen Bernice, and other actors using their voices to dramatically retell the story.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis story was so intense and beautifully told, and then also incredibly timely because it\u2019s talking about a society divided unto itself,\u201d Lilly said. \u201cSo a society that\u2019s really broken and in civil strife and how that leads ultimately to mutual destruction amongst all of its people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Given that the film deals with the destruction of the Second Temple, many people will be interested in this unique film.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt that time, Jerusalem was under threat from the Roman Empire. The Romans were coming to destroy the temple and to take over the city,\u201d Lilly said. \u201cThe outcome of that could have potentially been different had the Israeli people been unified, but they were so disenchanted, they were so disenfranchised from one another, they were so divided that they were actually killing each other before the Romans ever even got a chance to arrive. It\u2019s an incredible story. That\u2019s what drew me in.\u201d<\/p>\n

The \u201cLost\u201d star said the events in \u201cLegend of Destruction\u201d take place about 33 years after Christ\u2019s death, meaning they are very much part of the world Jesus was born into.<\/p>\n

This article was originally seen on Faithwire<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Actress Evangeline Lilly has had a sweeping Hollywood career, playing beloved characters in TV shows like \u201cLost\u201d and films like \u201cThe Hobbit.\u201d But despite a wildly popular career, Lilly decided back in 2020 to step back from Hollywood \u2014 a decision that sparked quite a bit of media interest. \u201cIt\u2019s been six years now,\u201d she…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":516,"featured_media":53072,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-53069","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-television"],"yoast_head":"\nActress Evangeline Lilly Flees Hollywood: \u2018God Has a Plan\u2019<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\""Lost" star Evangeline Lilly opens up about walking away from fame, the fears she faced and why she's trusting God with her next chapter.\" 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