Over the last three years or so, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania‘s Evangeline Lilly has made a number of headlines due to her controversial opinions about the COVID-19 pandemic. Things appeared to reach a tipping point last year, when she attended a rally in Washington D.C. to protest vaccine mandates and voiced her support for the so-called “Freedom Convoy” in her native Canada, which famously resulted in a series of blockades along the country’s border with the United States. Her social media posts were met with public backlash, and also seemed to invite criticism from some of her fellow MCU stars. Regardless, Lilly claims her remarks never put her in danger of getting booted from the franchise.
Lilly recently discussed the backlash in a new interview with Esquire. As it turns out, she asked herself “about six hundred times” whether it was a good idea to post photos from the D.C. rally on her Instagram account. In the end, her convictions won the day, even if she knew it would ruffle some feathers.
“I know the beast that I’m attacking,” recalled Lilly. “I know that I have a little pebble and there’s this f***ing Goliath giant. If I shoot this pebble, it’s going to wake the giant.”
“I just wanted people out there who were struggling because they were under severe pressure to do something they didn’t want to do to know that they weren’t alone,” continued Lilly. “And to know that there were people who actually felt they had a right to say no.”
RELATED: Evangeline Lilly Says She Finally Understood Hope In Ant-Man 3
Not long after she posted the photos, Lilly’s Ant-Man co-star David Dastmalchian appeared to condemn her stance on his own Twitter account. He didn’t mention her by name, but he decried those who use large platforms to share “irresponsible things” on social media. Similarly, Shang-Chi star Simu Liu said the “media needs to stop spotlighting opinions that are not rooted in facts or science.” The fallout ultimately gave way to rumors that Marvel was on the verge of terminating her contract. But it sounds like her bosses at the studio chose to stay out of it instead.
“They’re very respectful,” said Lilly in a separate interview with Happy Sad Confused (via Variety). “In fact, I’ve had direct conversations with them that I have instigated. And they’ve always said, ‘That’s not our business. That’s not for us to tell you how to live your life or what opinions to have.’ And I actually even got a really supportive phone call from Peyton Reed at one point and just saying like, ’Just so you know, there’s some rumors spreading about Marvel ditching you or canceling you. And that didn’t come from Marvel and that didn’t come from us, so just ignore that.’”
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is now playing in theaters everywhere.
Do you think Lilly made the right choice by posting her photos? Let us know in the comment section below!
Recommended Reading: Kang: The Saga Of The Once And Future Conqueror
We are also a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. This affiliate advertising program also provides a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
