Canadian actress Evangeline Lilly has shared a serious health update after falling face-first into a boulder in Hawaii. The 46-year-old star of Lost and the Ant-Man films revealed that recent brain scans show she has sustained brain damage from the accident . She made the announcement in a video posted to her Instagram on January 2, 2026, telling followers she now faces the difficult work of recovery .
“I am entering into this new year… with some bad news about my concussion,” Lilly said in the video. “The results came back from the scans, and almost every area in my brain is functioning at a decreased capacity. So I do have brain damage from the TBI [Traumatic Brain Injury] and possibly other factors going on” .
The Accident and Immediate Aftermath
The incident occurred in May 2025 while Lilly was in Hawaii . She has a history of fainting spells due to low blood sugar, a condition she has dealt with since childhood . While at the beach, she lost consciousness and fell forward, hitting her face on a large rock .
Lilly shared details of the accident last year, including photos of her facial injuries. Despite the visible wounds and a busted tooth, she expressed gratitude for the experience. “I feel so grateful that I blacked out,” she wrote at the time. “I needed the reset” .
A Career That Started With Small Roles
Long before she became a globally recognized star, Lilly’s acting career began with very modest parts. Her professional debut was not in a major film or show, but in a series of uncredited television appearances and commercials .
According to her filmography, Lilly’s very first credited film role was a small, uncredited part as a Police Officer in 2003’s The Lizzie McGuire Movie . That same year, she also appeared briefly and without credit as a school student in Freddy vs. Jason and in the TV film Stealing Sinatra . Her early television credits include episodes of Smallville and Tru Calling, where she played background characters like “Wade’s Girlfriend” and “Party Guest” .
These minor roles were the result of being discovered by a modeling agent while she was walking in Kelowna, British Columbia . Lilly initially had no plans to act, but eventually called the agent and began booking commercial work .
The Breakthrough Role on “Lost”
Lilly’s life and career changed dramatically in late 2003 when a friend encouraged her to audition for a mysterious new ABC television project. The show, which would become Lost, was so secretive that actors could only read short scenes and knew only the basic premise of a plane crash on a tropical island .
Lilly was one of about 75 women who auditioned for the role of Kate Austen, a survivor of the crash. She got the part, which became her first major speaking role and shot her to international fame . Lost premiered in September 2004 and became a massive hit, running for six seasons until 2010. Lilly appeared in 108 episodes as the show’s female lead . Her performance earned her a Golden Globe nomination in 2006 and made her a household name .
Despite the show’s success, Lilly has often described acting as a “day job” and expressed a greater passion for humanitarian work and writing .
Major Film Roles and Franchise Success
Following Lost, Lilly built a successful film career, often appearing in major franchises. Her notable film credits include:
- The Hurt Locker (2008): Lilly played Connie James in this critically acclaimed war film, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture .
- Real Steel (2011): She starred alongside Hugh Jackman as Bailey Tallet, a boxing gym owner .
- The Hobbit Trilogy: Lilly played the elf warrior Tauriel in The Desolation of Smaug (2013) and The Battle of the Five Armies (2014). The character was created specifically for the films and does not appear in J.R.R. Tolkien’s original book .
- Marvel Cinematic Universe: Lilly joined the superhero world as Hope van Dyne, the daughter of original Ant-Man Hank Pym. She first appeared in Ant-Man (2015) and later suited up as the superhero The Wasp in Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019) . Her most recent appearance was in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania in 2023 .
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Stepping Back and Facing Recovery
In June 2024, Lilly announced she was “stepping away” from acting to focus on her family and other pursuits . She shares two children with her longtime partner, Norman Kali .
The recent brain injury adds a new and challenging chapter to her life away from Hollywood. In her update, Lilly stated that her “cognitive decline” since the fall has unexpectedly helped her slow down. She said it led to “the calmest, most restful Christmas holiday I have had, maybe since I had children” .
She ended her video message with a note of determination and gratitude. “Now my job is to get to the bottom of that with the doctors and then begin the hard work of fixing it,” she said. “I’m feeling extraordinarily grateful and blessed to be able to play one more day, one more year on this beautiful living planet” .
Lilly also wrote in the caption of her post that while it was “comforting to know my cognitive decline isn’t just peri-menopause,” it is “discomforting to know what an uphill battle it will be to try to reverse the deficiencies” . She thanked her fans for their care and continued prayers .
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