Speaking in a new interview, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania star Evangeline Lilly revealed she rejected a role as DC’s Wonder Woman.
Lilly, who audiences will know from her work as Hope van Dyne/the Wasp in the MCU and Kate Austen in Lost, has become a massive star across Hollywood.
Since taking on her super-powered role in the MCU, the actress has been vocal about work within the comic book genre.
She even teased wanting to work with the DCEU’s current Wonder Woman, Gal Gadot, in a recent interview.
Evangeline Lilly’s DC Decision
In an appearance on Happy, Sad, Confused, Ant-Man star Evangeline Lilly went into detail on how she turned down the role of Wonder Woman in a canceled Wonder Woman project.
When asked by host Josh Horowitz about Lilly “[meeting] with [director] Joss Whedon about a Wonder Woman project,” the Lost star plainly said, “Yeah, that happened:”
Horowitz: “Before ‘Ant-Man,’ I recall you were either fan casted or real casted in other superhero kind of stuff, like there was even talk that you… true or false: did you meet with Joss Whedon about a Wonder Woman project?”
Lilly: “Yeah, that happened.”
Horowitz: “How did that go? Was that a real thing? Did it feel like a real thing at the time?”
Lilly: “It felt like a real thing but and I have no idea. You have to ask Joss. But I think my impression coming away from it was, I had no desire and he could tell.”
However, Lilly revealed she “had no desire” to do it, citing “there was nothing about the meeting that like jazzed [her]:”
Horowitz: “Were you trying to fake it? Or did you– or not even. You were kind of…”
Lilly: “I was too young to be that polite.”
Horowitz: “Why were you not into it? Just in the idea of playing Wonder Woman wasn’t… At that point, didn’t make sense.”
Lilly: “It didn’t appeal and there was nothing about the meeting that like jazzed me, or made me think like, ‘Oh, I gotta do this.’ I just didn’t– Nothing clicked. Nothing felt good. And I think that I, at that time and still to this day, I am way too authentic for my own good. I mean, it’s not good. IF I am not impressed, you’ll know and maybe you shouldn’t know sometimes. And I think there was maybe even a little bit of offence taken.”
She said that even though her turning down the role may have “[burned] bridges,” she “was okay with not having everyone in Hollywood want to work with [her]:”
Horowitz: “Right, because like, ‘You should be excited. Shouldn’t you be excited?’ And you’re like, ‘I’m good.’”
Lilly: “‘I’m not really.’ Yeah.. And I was okay with that. I was okay with burning bridges. I was okay with not having everyone in Hollywood want to work with me… I was okay. I was like, ‘I’m good. I’m doing Lost. I’m great.’”
These quotes are in line with a past interview Lilly gave to MTV News, in which she described “[going] in and [meeting] on Wonder Woman.”
She revealed that the meeting was around the “first season of Lost,” and despite turning it down she “still [has] a huge girl crush on Wonder Woman:”
“I actually went in and met on Wonder Woman at one point. Before the thing fell apart. That was early, that was first season of ‘Lost’ before I went, wait a minute, I don’t know if I want to do this! Wonder Woman was my favorite superhero as a little girl,” Lilly noted. ” I still have a huge girl crush on Wonder Woman, I think she’s amazing.”
Why Evangeline Lilly Turned Down Wonder Woman
While it is interesting to look back and think of a world where Evangeline Lilly was DC’s on-screen Wonder Woman, it is probably for the better that she turned that offer down.
From what the actress has said, this Joss Whedon DC title was just not for her. One has to remember, this was long before the Gal Gadot/Patty Jenkins Wonder Woman film, and was long before the comic book movie genre was as widely-popular as it is now.
If Lilly had taken on the DC role, perhaps fans would have never got her in the MCU as Hope van Dyne. And maybe with would have potentially led to Gal Gadot never suiting up as the iconic hero.
Both Lilly and Gadot are perfect for the superhero roles they ended up taking on, and fans very likely got the best outcome this situation could have yielded.
Evangeline Lilly can be seen in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania when it releases on February 17.
