Evangeline Lilly is not holding her silence about Disney’s recent firing spree.
The “Ant-Man” Star has called out the entertainment conglomerate for letting go of a huge number of their staff, including the artist behind the design of the “Wasp” costume. She expressed that replacing the humans who brought the Marvel empire to life via their animations with artificial intelligence was horrible.
Evangeline Lilly stepped away from Hollywood and acting indefinitely after two decades of actively being in the industry. She’s known for her major roles in “Lost,” “The Hobbit,” and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Lilly shared an Instagram video where she spoke about the recent headlines about Disney staff who were let go as the use of advanced technology progresses. The actress started off playing a clip that disclosed that approximately 1000 employees and nearly the entire visual development team at Marvel were let go. The voice-over described the incident as “a bloodbath at Disney,” and Lilly shared in those thoughts. She stated that she had to verify the authenticity of the news before speaking on it by reaching out to her good friend, Andy Park.
In the actress’s words, Park was the genius behind creating the original Wasp supersuit and the original Wasp concept drawings for the film Ant-Man and the Wasp.” He confirmed the news, adding that he was part of the 1000 staff Disney had let go. Lilly shared that she found it unbelievable that the entertainment franchise had let go of the talented artists who invented and designed most of the characters.
“I am so sorry, Andy, and I am so sorry to every single one of the artists who were let go,” she noted before emphasizing the entire team at Marvel who were now “considered obsolete.” Towards the end of the video, she urged her listeners who were Marvel fans to take a moment to send prayers and honor the fired artists. “I stand with all the artists and Andy, I’m so sorry, and I love you guys,” Lilly concluded.
The Actress Called Disney And ‘Disgusting’ Lawmakers Out
Lilly’s speech in the video was not the end of voicing out her feelings about the layoffs. She also wrote a lengthy caption praising the artists she saw work tirelessly to bring the Marvel characters to life during her years at the MCU.
She then sent a message directed at the entertainment franchise. tagging Disney’s official Instagram account, she wrote: “SHAME ON YOU for turning your back on the people who built the power you are now using to throw them away.”
The actress also took a jab at California lawmakers, asking, “Where are the laws that REMOVE all human art from the AI bank?!?” Lilly added that the artists’ works should be protected so that the executives would not be able to steal their brilliant work born out of their imagination and feed it to A.I. The “Ant-Man and the Wasp” star further cited an imbalance in the system when those at the top enrich themselves while the workers go hungry.
Marvel Took A Major Hit In The Massive Disney Layoff
Josh D’Amaro, CEO of Marvel parent Disney, confirmed earlier this month that up to 1000 employees across different divisions of the company will be laid off. Marvel has reportedly been greatly affected, with about 8% of its workforce laid off.
Deadline reports that the staff reductions are in both the offices of Marvel Entertainment in New York and Marvel Studios in Burbank. Staff have been fired from most departments, including film and TV production, finance, franchise, legal, and comics.
Across all the departments, the cuts in the visual development area are said to be very significant. The new plan involves Marvel Studios retaining a small team to oversee the hiring of artists on a project-by-project basis, who will be outside contractors in the future. Prior to this huge cut down in staff, Marvel underwent a small round of layoffs in 2024.
Disney’s CEO Revealed The Reason Behind The Layoffs
D’Amaro sent out a memo to employees on April 14 disclosing that the media company would be eliminating about a thousand roles due to their intentions to “streamline [their] operations,” to ensure they deliver world-class creativity and innovation to fans.
He noted in the memo that the rapid growth and spread of their industries call for a more “agile and technologically-enabled workforce to meet tomorrow’s needs,” hence their decision to eliminate so many roles in several parts of the company. Variety reported that a source familiar with the situation disclosed that this move is primarily a result of Disney’s formation of a consolidated enterprise marketing division under Asad Ayaz. Ayaz is the current chief marketing and brand officer.
D’Amaro acknowledged that firing a thousand workers was a hard decision, stating that they had done meaningful work for the company. He added that the decision to let go of those roles was neither a reflection of the staff’s contribution to Disney nor the overall strength of the entertainment company. Instead, it was a reflection of continual evaluation of how to reinvest in their business and manage Disney’s resources effectively.
Evangeline Lilly Let Fans In On Her Health Struggles
Lilly got vulnerable with fans sharing her medically surprising condition. She disclosed that she has persistent fainting episodes, but the shocking part was that after a series of tests, doctors could not find any problems with her body. The “Lost” actress also shared that she had experienced fainting spells from a young age, and even got tested for epilepsy.
Later on, she started believing she suffered from hypoglycemia. Mayo Clinic defines hypoglycemia as a condition in which your blood sugar (glucose) level is lower than the standard range. Some of the symptoms include dizziness, headaches, and lightheadedness. Lilly discovered with time that she did not have the condition after noticing her glucose levels never dropped, even after a 12-hour fast.
The Blast shares that the actress has turned to view her fainting spells as beyond ordinary. She said that they were a result of her body going past its limits and her soul searching for peace. She, however, did not tie her retirement from the screens to her health; instead, she said she wants to shift focus to her personal life, writing, and humanitarian works.