Pictured: Evangeline Lily (left) and Hugh Jackman (right) star in "Real Steel."
TV-famous Evangeline Lily (Lost), became an accidental actress but today has found herself in the middle of three hugely expensive films (Real Steel, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: There and Back Again) while on the verge of retirement.
Entertainment Heartbeat asked Lily about the difficult circumstances (for many) getting the chance to jump from TV to film (and in Lily‘s case, immediate stardom).
“Before I started on Lost I would have never guessed that I’d be an actress. Then the fact that I’m even working right now is kind of surprising to me because it was my intention after Lost to not work any more. I just wanted to enjoy my earnings from Lost and go off and relax and live a simple life and have my babies. I didn’t expect to be working at all, and so the fact that I am in these films out of quasi-retirement was kind of shocking to me. I guess it speaks to the fact that the films and the filmmakers…and the people within them are so talented. The [kind of actors] who I have no business working with. I’m so honored to work with them.”
But what exactly happened that led Lily to take the other path?
“It sort of came about out naturally…I actually worked on Real Steel just a couple of weeks after I’d finished on Lost. Then I took a lot of time off, about a year actually, and then I had my baby. I got a call from [Director] Peter Jackson‘s team – while I was nursing my baby at about a month and a half old – saying that they were interested in me for The Hobbit and would I like to do it. Frankly, I had no intention of working at that point but I was a huge fan of (J.R.R.) Tolkien‘s work when I was a young woman and as a young girl. I always dreamed about being a fairy or an elf or a pixie or something like that so it was sort of an offer that I really couldn’t pass up…being that Pete Jackson is sort of Tolkien‘s ambassador now.”
And Lily fulfilled her desire to play one of the mystical characters in The Hobbit, nabbing the enviable role of an elf.
“It’s so much fun to put my ears on, put my wig on and put my costume on. I feel like I’m a little girl dressing up. It’s the easiest thing to do to put that on because I’ve continued that love of [The Hobbit] since I was a kid. To meet Pete Jackson was such a delight because he’s a really, really down-to-Earth guy and he’s funny as hell. He constantly has me laughing on set and he’s a consummate professional. He knows what he’s doing so you feel like you know you’re in good hands as an actress. You can relax and do your job and not worry that the end result will be bad.”
Lily is actually filming two Hobbit films during the same shoot (Unexpected Journey and There and Back Again) and although she’s a seasoned television personality, we asked what most struck her about the lavish cinema experience of The Hobbit films.After all, a successful film businessman, Jackson is also known for sparing nothing in the production of his films.
“I was wildly impressed to find the infrastructure of support that’s there for actors. You have all kinds of trainers to help you accomplish your role including movement trainers. Then the film itself is so exciting and inspiring and also these incredible film sets.”
Aside from of the love of her childhood book, the merits of the script also attracted her from the grip of retirement.
“What I like the most is the film itself, but I’m not the kind of person that’s necessarily chasing that big blockbuster side of things. But, I love the film and I love the director and I really believe in it. I think it’s a beautiful film that people of all ages can see.”
And the appeal of Real Steel for the actress was that, despite the blockbuster elements, her character of Bailey Tallet uses her wits rather than fists.
“I don’t do any butt-kicking…I am the voice of reason in this film. And it was really nice to do that for a change” (referring to the physical demands of Lost).
Steel‘s male lead, Hugh Jackman has a reputation of being one of the genuinely nice guys in film, so we asked Lily for her close-up appraisal of the superstar.
“It’s more enviable than anybody might otherwise know because he’s not just beautiful but he’s a really, really, really an incredible human being. He’s a talented man who’s such a joy to work with and he’s a kind, generous and a fun guy. There’s nothing bad about Hugh Jackman, and I’d work with him again in a heartbeat if I had the opportunity.”
While Lily‘s speedy rise to the top of her profession may seem effortless, and her attitude about being a star or just walking away to a quiet, simple life (vis-à-vis Debra Winger) may seem (especially to other struggling actors) somewhat carefree/careless, she doesn’t take her success for granted.
“I am super, super, super grateful…I couldn’t be a more grateful person. I’m the happiest person in the world. Life is so good to me – I have this beautiful baby, I have a wonderful partner, I have a great job and I have a good life…”
Lily says that she takes “life one day at a time” and doesn’t dwell on the future, saying instead that …”you never know, you just never know.”
Not many people have a destiny, and while you never know, Lily‘s fans will be grateful that she chose to follow her film fate rather than an uneventful, happy and less fatalistic road.