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MCU's Quantumania stars Evangeline Lilly and Michael Douglas recently confirmed that they would be taking a step back from acting. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania stands as their final Marvel film, closing a chapter that helped define Marvel's phase two movies.
Michael Douglas, aged 80, made his MCU debut as Hank Pym in the 2015 film Ant-Man and has portrayed the scientist who discovered the Pym Particles in several Marvel movies. Meanwhile, Evangeline Lilly played the role of Hope van Dyne, the daughter of Hank Pym and the love interest of Scott Lang (Ant-Man).
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As reported by Variety, both actors shared their departure through personalized announcements. Lilly cited a desire to pursue a life beyond Hollywood, focused on family and purpose.
Meanwhile, Douglas expressed contentment with retiring after nearly 60 years. He stated that he had no intention of returning unless something truly exceptional came along.
Quantumania's Michael Douglas announces retirement from acting
As per a report published by Variety on July 6, 2025, Quantumania's Michael Douglas confirmed his retirement from acting at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival in the Czech Republic.
Douglas also revealed that he was battling Stage 4 cancer and is currently undergoing chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
"I went with the program, involving chemo and radiation, and was fortunate. The surgery would have meant not being able to talk and removing part of my jaw and that would have been limiting as an actor," he explained.
The Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning actor expressed his concerns about continuing his career in acting, especially while dealing with a health condition like cancer.
"I have not worked since 2022 purposefully because I realized I had to stop. I had been working pretty hard for almost 60 years, and I did not want to be one of those people who dropped dead on the set. I have no real intentions of going back. I say I’m not retired because if something special came up, I’d go back, but otherwise, no," he added.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Michael Douglas also revealed that he is currently working on a "little independent movie" and is working on refining the script. For now, the actor is focusing on maintaining a good marriage with his longtime partner Catherine Zeta-Jones.
"I think in the spirit of maintaining a good marriage, I’m happy to play the wife. I had one little independent movie that I’m trying to get a good script out of, but that’s about it," Doughlas shared.
Evangeline Lilly on stepping away from acting, officially making Quantumania her last acting project
Evangeline Lilly, who plays Hope van Dyne in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and elf warrior Tauriel in The Hobbit, announced her retirement through an Instagram post on June 3, 2024.
The post contains a video of the late writer, poet, and civil rights activist Maya Angelou speaking about the fleeting nature of existence. Her words resonated with the 45-year-old actress who testified that Angelou had perfectly summarized her sentiments regarding existence.
Evangeline Lilly, who played Kate Austen in the science fiction drama Lost, posted footage from that era in her life and spoke about where she'd like to be 10 years from now.
"I am terrified to admit this to the rest of the acting world, but ideally, 10 years from now, I'd like to be a retired actress, and I would like to have a family. And I'd like to be writing, and potentially maybe influencing people's lives in a more humanitarian way," Evangeline Lilly stated in the clip.
The post was also accompanied by a caption reaffirming the actress's decision to step away from acting and the obvious choice of "wealth and fame".
"I might return to Hollywood one day, but, for now, this is where I belong. A new season has arrived, and I AM READY...and I AM HAPPY," she added.
Both Evangeline Lilly and Michael Douglas expressed that they may return to Hollywood in case if a project they're interested in comes along. However, for now, both the Quantumania stars are taking a step back from acting to focus on their personal goals.
