Why Hope From Ant-Man Looks So Familiar
Playing Hope van Dyne in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has propelled Evangeline Lilly back into the public eye. She made her superhero debut in Peyton Reed's Ant-Man back in 2015, and she is scheduled to reprise her role in the movie's sequel, Ant-Man and the Wasp, due out in 2018, when she will (finally!) suit up as The Wasp. But if you saw the first movie and thought you recognized Lilly, even when she was sporting a new haircut, there's a reason for that.
Kingdom Hospital (2004)
Like everyone else in Hollywood, Evangeline Lilly got her start by starring in a few non-speaking (and uncredited) roles in shows such as Smallville (which she appeared in four times), Tru Calling, Freddy vs. Jason, The Lizzie McGuire Movie, and even White Chicks. Another such project was Kingdom Hospital, based on the Lars von Trier miniseries The Kingdom. Stephen King adapted the Danish series for American audiences in 2004, which employed several aspiring actors and actresses, including Lilly. She played a character simply described as Benton's girlfriend in the miniseries' eighth episode, "Heartless." Aside from playing a model in a commercial in the TV movie Stealing Sinatra, Kingdom Hospital was the actress' first credited role. And she still didn't have any lines.
Lost (2004-2010)
It didn't take long for Lilly to skyrocket from unknown actress to global fame. She was cast in a leading role on ABC's Lost the same year she appeared in Kingdom Hospital. Lilly played fugitive Kate Austen, who had crash-landed on an uncharted island along with the rest of the passengers of Oceanic Flight 815. The J.J. Abrams-produced series became one of the most-watched shows on television, and even though it's been off the air for seven years, it's still Lilly's most recognizable role to date–if not for the ratings, then at least for the industry recognition. The Saturn Awards, the Golden Globes, and even the Teen Choice Awards regularly nominated her for best actress while the show was on the air.
The Long Weekend (2005)
A year after hitting the big time with Lost, Evangeline Lilly took on a small role in the Canadian comedy flick The Long Weekend, starring American Pie's Chris Klein and Roswell's Brendan Fehr. Now that she's a well-known actress, it seems strange that Lilly thought it would be a good idea to appear in the 2005 sex comedy. After all, she played Simone, a deceased supermodel whose funeral transpires during the movie, which the two brothers attend. Of course, they only go there looking for other women to sleep with.
The Hurt Locker (2008)
There was a three-year gap between The Long Weekend and the next flick Evangeline Lilly appeared in—Kathryn Bigelow's Oscar-winning film The Hurt Locker. Unlike her no-speaking role in the aforementioned sex comedy, Lilly had something of a prominent part in the film. She played Connie James, the wife of Jeremy Renner's William James. Even though she only had a brief role in the movie, she still won the Gotham Award for best ensemble cast along with the rest of the staff. And considering that Lost had begun to wind down at the time, having a part in The Hurt Locker put her in a position to start thinking about a film career once the famed series concluded.
Afterwards (2008)
Lilly followed up her role in The Hurt Locker with a leading part in the psychological thriller Afterwards. Based on the French novel Et après... by Guillaume Musso, Afterwards was directed by Gilles Bourdos and starred Romain Duris as Nathan Del Amico and John Malkovich as Joseph Kay. Lilly played Nathan's divorced wife, Claire. Although the movie technically released after The Hurt Locker, it was filmed in 2007. What's more, American audiences might not be aware of the movie at all, considering that it never released in the United States.
Real Steel (2011)
Jack Shephard may have told Kate they have to go back, but once Lost ended, Evangeline Lilly had her eyes set on the big screen. She left the small screen behind when she boarded Shawn Levy's Real Steel, based on the 1953 short story "Steel" by Richard Matheson. Unlike her previous roles as the wife (or ex-wife) of the main character, Lilly struck out on her own, playing Bailey Tallet, the daughter of Charlie Kenton's (Hugh Jackman) boxing coach. The movie also starred Dakota Goyo and Anthony Mackie, and it went on to gross a whopping $300 million worldwide. That was enough to prompt the studio to begin sequel talks. Although the project seemed to be moving forward at the time, thankfully nothing came of it. Otherwise, we might not have gotten to see Lilly make the jump from sci-fi to fantasy.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2012)
Although Real Steel was a nice transition from the small screen to the big screen, Evangeline Lilly's biggest role since the conclusion of Lost was as Tauriel in Peter Jackson's The Hobbit trilogy. She made her debut as the Elf, also known as the Daughter of the Forest, in the second film in the trilogy, The Desolation of Smaug. Tauriel is an original character created for the film series, and she has no counterpart in J.R.R. Tolkien's novel. Because of that, Lilly was initially apprehensive about taking on the role, but the fact that Jackson was behind the project convinced her to take it on. "[Jackson and writer Fran Walsh] know [Middle-Earth] so well. They're not going to create a character that is not true to Tolkien's world."
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2013)
Warner Bros. originally had plans to release two Hobbit movies but later chose to break up the second film into a new Middle-Earth trilogy. When the cast and crew returned for the reshoots, the creative team behind the project had added in new plot points, including a love triangle with Tauriel in the middle. It was a bold move by the filmmakers, for when Evangeline Lilly signed up for the role, her only stipulation was that there wouldn't be a love triangle. And there wasn't.
"For the whole time I shot. For a year of shooting there was no love triangle," she told Access Hollywood. "And then, I came back for reshoots in 2012 ... and all of a sudden [there was] a love triangle before my very eyes." She had already filmed her scenes for The Desolation of Smaug, so there was no escaping it. She had to commit to finishing The Battle of the Five Armies.