‘Ant-Man' Star Evangeline Lilly Speaks Out After Attending Anti-Vaccine Protest

At the start of the pandemic in 2020, the "Lost" actress faced backlash after telling her followers that she believed COVID-19 was similar to the flu

Evangeline Lilly
Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic via Getty Images

Marvel actress Evangeline Lilly spoke out about attending an anti-vaccine rally in Washington, D.C., over the weekend.

The "Ant-Man" star, who has previously apologized for her "arrogant" COVID-19 beliefs, took to Instagram on Thursday, Jan. 27, to share photos from the protest. According to Lilly, she was at the rally "to support bodily sovereignty."

"I believe nobody should ever be forced to inject their body with anything, against their will," she began in the caption, before listing what she maintains are consequences to rejecting the vaccine, including "violent attacks," loss of employment and education, "alienation from loved ones" and "excommunication from society."

She continued, "This is not the way. This is not safe. This is not healthy. This is not love. I understand the world is in fear, but I don't believe that answering fear with force will fix our problems."

Lilly, who shares two children with "The Hobbit" actor Norman Kali, added, "I was pro choice before COVID and I am still pro choice today," along with the hashtag #medicalfreedom.

Celebrities and Politicians Getting the COVID-19 Vaccine

At the start of the pandemic in 2020, the "Lost" actress faced backlash after telling her followers that she believed COVID-19 was similar to the flu. About a week later, she clarified that she was practicing social distancing and trying to do her "part."

Lockdowns and closures, plus masking, helped limit the spread of the flu in 2020. But 2021 could see more flu cases, says Dr. Alok Patel of Stanford Children's Health. We break down the reasons why.

"I want to offer my sincere and heartfelt apology for the insensitivity I showed in my previous post to the very real suffering and fear that has gripped the world through COVID19," Lilly, 42, wrote in March 2020. "Grandparents, parents, children, sisters and brothers are dying, the world is rallying to find a way to stop this very real threat, and my ensuing silence has sent a dismissive, arrogant and cryptic message."

It's not clear whether Lilly is vaccinated. A spokesperson for Lilly did not immediately respond to an NBC News request for comment.

So far, more than 870,000 people have died from the novel coronavirus in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that a recent surge of cases from the omicron variant has led to an increased importance for vaccines and booster shots.

Generally, the fewer COVID-19 vaccines a state administered, the higher its COVID death rate in 2021. The hard-hit states also tended to have fewer restrictions that reduce spread of the coronavirus. NBCLX Political Editor Noah Pransky breaks down the data.
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