By Peter Malbin
Evangeline Lilly’s combination of playful charm and natural talent is earning her a reputation as one of the most promising young actresses in Hollywood.
Fluent in French, Lilly loves reading, writing, painting, music, nature, staying active, tea and travel. While working on the upcoming third season of the ABC hit show “Lost,” Evangeline has come to love Hawaii, where the program is filmed.
The 27-year-old star of “Lost” was born in Alberta, Canada. She was discovered by a Ford modelling agent on the streets in British Columbia, but passed up an offer to sign with the agency to pursue her dream of working in international relations. Six months later she moved to Vancouver to attend the University of British Columbia. While at university she founded and ran a world development and human rights committee. She spent three weeks living under a grass hut in the jungles of the Philippines with a missionary group.
She decided to sign with Ford to help pay her tuition. After appearing in a few commercials, she chose to give up acting and focus on studying. A couple of years later, a friend urged her to give acting another stint, but when she landed the non-speaking roles of a corpse in both an episode of the short-lived Stephen King’s “Kingdom Hospital” and the film “The Long Weekend,” the prospect of an acting career didn’t seem very enticing.
Lilly finally caught the acting bug when she received her first speaking role as the unpredictable Kate in “Lost.” Her other TV credits include “Smallville,” “Judgment Day,” “Tru Calling,” and “Kingdom Hospital.” Her filmwork includes “Stealing Sinatra” (2003) and “The Long Weekend” (2005).
Where She Gets Her Thrills:
Lilly's just as adventurous off-screen as her gun-wielding, boar-hunting character. In college she spent three weeks in the Philippines with a Christian missionary group and adapted to life in the tropics, including bathing in crocodile-infested waters. Her fearlessness comes from being raised by a father who has three girls and no boys so she and her sisters were more like surrogate sons, she said. Growing up, she was always physically active, running, cycling, swimming and more.
What's next: Most likely some pro bono work. She cites Angelina Jolie's dedication as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations as an inspiration.
