Evangeline Lilly suffers brain damage: What we know about Marvel star
Evangeline Lilly shared a concerning health update with fans following a concussion she suffered in Hawaii in May. The Ant-Man actress revealed in an Instagram video Saturday that she suffered brain damage in an incident that left her bruised and bloodied, as she fainted and fell face-first into a boulder on the beach.
The fall resulted in Lilly, 46, suffering a traumatic brain injury (TBI), and recent scans have not been as positive as she hoped.
“The results came back from the scans, and almost every area of my brain is functioning at a decreased capacity,” Lilly said. “So, I do have brain damage from the TBI and possibly other factors going on. My job is to get to the bottom of that with the doctors and then embark on the hard work of fixing it, which I don’t look forward to because I feel like hard work is all I do.”
Lilly’s career has been epitomized by hard work. After paying her way through college in Canada by servicing big rig trucks and working as a waitress and flight attendant, Lilly got her first big acting break when she was cast as Kate Austen in the television series Lost. She would soon become a movie star by appearing in the Ant-Man and The Hobbit franchises, while also making memorable turns in The Hurt Locker and Real Steel.
The brain injury has slowed Lilly’s career down for the time being, a welcome change of pace for the SAG Award-winning actress.
“My cognitive decline since I smashed my face open has helped me slow down and helped me to have a more restful finish to my 2025,” Lilly said. “I think this was the calmest, most restful Christmas holiday I have had maybe since I had children, so 14 years ago. So that’s a good thing. I’m feeling extraordinarily grateful and blessed to be able to play one more day, one more year on this beautiful living planet.”
Let’s hope Lilly continues on the road to recovery in 2026.
This article originally appeared on For The Win
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect