Evangeline Lilly is not staying silent about Disney’s recent wave of layoffs.
The “Ant-Man” star slammed the entertainment conglomerate for laying off many of its employees, including the artist who designed the “Wasp” costume. She expressed that replacing the humans who brought the Marvel Empire to life through their animations with artificial intelligence was horrible.
Evangeline Lilly stepped away from Hollywood and acted indefinitely after two decades of active work in the industry. She is known for her major roles in “Lost,” “The Hobbit” and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Evangeline Lilly’s heart goes out to licensed artists
Lilly shared an Instagram video in which she spoke about recent headlines regarding Disney staff being laid off as the use of cutting-edge technology advances. The actress began by releasing a clip revealing that around 1,000 employees and almost the entire visual development team at Marvel had been laid off. The voiceover described the incident as “a Disney bloodbath” and Lilly shared those thoughts. She said she had to verify the authenticity of the news before speaking out about it by contacting her good friend, Andy Park.
In the actress’s words, Park was the genius behind the creation of Wasp’s original supersuit and Wasp’s original concept designs for the Ant-Man and the Wasp film. He confirmed the news, adding that he was one of 1,000 employees Disney had laid off. Lilly shared that she found it incredible that the entertainment franchise abandoned the talented artists who invented and designed most of the characters.
“I’m so sorry, Andy, and I’m so sorry to every single artist that was let go,” she noted before pointing out the entire Marvel team that was now “considered obsolete.” Towards the end of the video, she urged her listeners, Marvel fans, to take a moment to send up 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 out Disney and ‘disgusting’ lawmakers
Lilly’s speech in the video wasn’t the end of expressing her feelings regarding the layoffs. She also wrote a lengthy caption praising the artists she saw work tirelessly to bring Marvel characters to life during her years in the MCU.
She then sent a message addressed to 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 now use to throw them away.”
The actress also lashed out at California lawmakers, asking, “Where are the laws that REMOVE all human art from AI banking?!?” Lilly added that artists’ works should be protected so that executives cannot steal their brilliant works of imagination and pass them on to AI. The “Ant-Man and the Wasp” star further cited an imbalance in the system when those at the top get richer while workers go hungry.
Marvel suffered a major blow during Disney’s massive layoff
Josh D’Amaro, CEO of Marvel’s parent company Disney, confirmed earlier this month that up to 1,000 employees across different divisions of the company would be laid off. Marvel was reportedly hit hard, with around 8% of its workforce laid off.
Deadline reports that the staff reductions include both Marvel Entertainment’s offices in New York and Marvel Studios in Burbank. Staff were laid off in most departments, including film and television production, finance, franchises, legal services and comics.
Across all departments, reductions in the area of visual development would 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 in the future be outside contractors. Before this huge downsizing, Marvel suffered a small round of layoffs in 2024.
Disney CEO revealed reason for layoffs
D’Amaro sent a memo to employees on April 14, revealing that the media company would cut about a thousand positions due to its intention 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 expansion of their industries requires a more “agile and technologically competent workforce to meet the needs of tomorrow,” hence their decision to eliminate so many positions in several areas of the company. Variety reported that a source familiar with the matter revealed that the move was primarily the result of Disney creating a consolidated corporate marketing division under Asad Ayaz. Ayaz is the current Director of Marketing and Brand.
D’Amaro acknowledged that laying off a thousand workers was a difficult decision, saying they had done meaningful work for the company. He added that the decision to abandon these roles reflected neither the staff’s contribution to Disney nor the overall strength of the entertainment company. Instead, it reflected an ongoing evaluation of how to reinvest in their business and manage Disney’s resources effectively.
Evangeline Lilly let her fans talk about her health issues
Lilly became vulnerable with fans sharing her medically surprising condition. She revealed that she suffered from persistent fainting spells, but the most shocking thing was that after a series of tests, doctors failed to detect any problems in her body. The “Lost” actress also shared that she had fainting spells from a young age and even had an epilepsy test.
Later, she began to believe she was suffering from hypoglycemia. The Mayo Clinic defines hypoglycemia as a condition in which your blood sugar (glucose) level is below the standard range. Some of the symptoms include dizziness, headaches and lightheadedness. Lilly discovered over time that she did not have the disease after noticing that her glucose levels never dropped, even after a 12-hour fast.
The Blast shares that the actress began to view her fainting spells as out of the ordinary. She said they were the result of her body pushing its limits and her soul seeking peace. However, she did not link her retirement from the screens to her health; instead, she said she wanted to focus on her personal life, writing, and humanitarian works.