We’re used to seeing Hope Van Dyne do her bit to save the world in the MCU, but the actress who plays her, Evangeline Lilly, has been accused of endangering public safety over the past couple of days. Earlier this week, the Ant-Man and the Wasp actress took to Instagram to reveal that she had taken her kids to gymnastics camp and was living life “#businessasusual.” This post received a lot of blowback from those who felt she was putting her own family and others at risk, given that the widespread advice right now is to practise social distancing during the current COVID-19 crisis.
The comments on Lilly’s post are full of criticism from other users and the star has taken the time to respond to a few of them and explain a little more about her point of view. In response to one woman who requested that Lilly stay at home in order to “flatten the curve and save lives,” the actress wrote back that she believes the two women would “have a lot to agree on,” but that she personally finds the way things have escalated “unnerving.”
I bet we would completely agree on what we want and what we are trying to avoid, and then would challenge each other thoughtfully about how to achieve that. I’m having those conversations daily with people in my inner circle and am always considering and reconsidering my position. Where we are right now feels a lot too close to Marshall Law [sic] for my comfort already, all in the name of a respiratory flu. It’s unnerving.”
It’s clear that Lilly is one of those people that believes the coronavirus pandemic is somewhat overblown and does not need to be taken as seriously as it is. Obviously, there’s a lot of factual evidence telling us that, no, it really is serious, so you can see why her attitudes have infuriated people so much. In her defense, though, it seems part of the actress’ stance comes from a place of making sure political leaders don’t simply use this terrible situation to their advantage.
In another comment, she added:
“I appreciate your engagement and the meaningful discourse. Let’s be vigilant right now. And kind. Watchful and gracious — keeping a close eye on our leaders, making sure they don’t abuse this moment to steal away more freedoms and grab more power, but gracious with each other as we try to navigate the unknown dangers of a modern, global world and power structure. Stay in touch. We’re in this together. Thank you for listening. I have heard you.”
Elsewhere, Lilly stated that, as well as being immunocompromised, she was living with her father who is currently battling stage four leukemia. Despite this, the actress said she wasn’t willing to put her family through “corona house arrest,” believing that “we all need to slow down, take a breath and look at the facts we are being presented with” when it comes to the best course of action. The Avengers: Endgame star even suggested she thinks the whole thing might be a hoax, as there’s always “something” that occurs every election year.
Evangeline Lilly is next due to return to the MCU with Ant-Man 3, coming sometime in 2022.