Tiny, yet powerful

EVANGELINE LILLY joins the short but growing list of female superheroes in Hollywood. Team Viva catches up with her 

With The Ant Man and The Wasp actress EVANGELINE LILLY, who was limited to playing Hope van Dyne, the daughter of Michael Douglas’s character, playing a much larger role of the female superhero called the Wasp, another character in the Marvel Comic Universe (MCU) has acquired the ability to shrink. She had made a mark with her performance in the show Lost, in which she played Katherine Austen, and later as Tauriel in The Hobbit movies. The actress, now an established character in the MCU, will appear in the concluding Avengers film as well, in which all the remaining super heroes will hopefully unite their powers against the world-destroying Thanos.

How does it feel to be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

The weird thing is that earlier, when I was cast for Ant-Man, it felt very big, grand and exciting. But  when I watched the film, it was so delightful and immersive that I was giddy walking out of the theatre. All the Marvel hype, excitement, mystique and glory just melted away. I was so proud and happy to have been a part of a really good movie; one that I was excited about enough to show to my kids one day. Ultimately, as an actor, that is the bottom line, being proud of your work.

What was the appeal for the sequel?

The first and foremost motivation was to put on that suit. We started with fittings about three months after we had finished shooting for the first film, which was three-and-a-half years ago.

I was also excited to play Hope’s character again because in the first film she had gone through this enormous emotional arc. She had spent around 30 years resenting her father and being at odds with him, and bitterness had built up in her that gave her this cold exterior. Then by the end of the film, so much of it melted away. She had taken the first step to resolve issues with her father. It was exciting to go back to this character and play her in a new space.

How did you find working with Michael Douglas again?

It was an unexpected surprise. When I went into the first film, of course I knew who Michael Douglas was and I felt honoured to be working with him. But his mystique and the reverence that so many other actors had for him was something that had eluded me only because I hadn’t seen much of his work.

I am not an avid film or TV watcher, so I haven’t seen a lot of the great personalities at work. On the very first day of shooting, I remember how quickly he started to perform with the call of “action.” It was as if he had changed the chemistry of the molecules in the air. The whole room changed. I felt immediately transported into the world of Hank Pym and Hope Van Dyne. Not every co-star can do that for you. It was a gift, a sweet and delicious gift. The person I was performing opposite to had immersed me further in the world I was trying to immerse myself in. Everyone has a different style and not all styles blend well. I feel lucky that from my perspective our styles blended very well. It was natural and because he is so good, it is hard to be bad when you’re acting with him. He elevates you.

Where do we find Hope and Hank?

Hope and Hank have been living and working in isolation with one another because they have been on the run from the FBI. They are in a lab that they have built which can shrink and grow at a moment’s notice. Hence they can run and carry the lab with them, which is also their home. The lab is elaborate, incredible and high-techspace. They have built the quantum tunnel because they are passionately trying to get back to the quantum realm safely to find Janet Van Dyne.

How was it when you found out about Michelle Pfeiffer?

When we first started doing the first part of The Ant-Man, they referenced Janet Van Dyne a lot. Four years ago, I had told Marvel that if they ever bring a Janet Van Dyne into one of these films, make it Michelle Pfeiffer. I really wanted her to play my character’s mom. Not only is she the most beautiful woman to have ever walked the planet, she is also a great actor.

As Catwoman, she was the only super woman I grew up with. I would lie awake at night and fantasise about her. She was really cool. When the film was on a go, they broke the news to me that Michelle was in fact going to play Hope’s mother. It had nothing to do with my request I am sure but they realised one of my dreams by casting her.

Where do we find Hope and Scott in this film?

The relationship between Hope and Scott in the first film was really straight-forward. She couldn’t stand him through the majority of the film. And then at some point, Hope realises that he is okay. Suddenly, they are found kissing in a hallway. Nobody knows how it happened!

Between the first and the second film, they did the scene for a while and were in a relationship. Scott eloped to Germany and had a costume party on a tarmac and decided that he did not care if that affected their lives, or if that ruined Hope’s life. As a result, he got himself arrested, and since that point they no longer were an item. Hope has definitely harboured feelings of anger and resentment.

They have not really been on speaking terms for about two years. But, of course, love doesn’t die because of bad circumstances. So we pick up this film where she is angry with him and they haven’t spoken in a long time. She has got a mission and is really focussed about her mother but underneath she still loves Scott.

Tell us about Bill Foster.

 Laurence Fishburne, who plays Bill Foster, was Hank’s colleague years ago. They worked together on an experiment called Goliath, in which they were experimenting to grow humans into enormous beings. However, their relationship turned sour and they parted ways. But they come back on friendly terms. Laurence Fishburne is warm,  welcoming and lovely to work with. It is wonderful to be working with him. I had limited scenes with him but even then I kept feeling grateful.

What would you say about Ghost?

Ava, or Ghost, is played by Hannah John-Kamen. Ava’s entry is cool. The minute  Ghost is introduced, you know that the Wasp is in trouble. Hannah knocks it out of the park playing a villain who is both terrifying and formidable but simultaneously vulnerable and innocent, which might be the creepiest thing about her.

What process went into creating of your costume?

The Wasp costume that you saw at the end of the first film was an old prototype from the 1980s. As technology has evolved, so Hope updated the suit with her father. They made a new one. I did four months of working to fit in the Wasp suit perfectly. I felt like I have to measure up to the absolutely unrealistic images of women in the Super Hero comics. Hence, we worked for long hours to make the proportions look as beautiful and flattering as possible and also to be Wasp-like. When the Wasp suit finally got finished, I put it on and something changed in my DNA. I felt like a superhero.

What ride can the  audience expect?

Ant-Man and The Wasp is going to start in a beautiful sweet place. It will immediately take you back to the previous film and give all those good vibes.

(Ant-Man and The Wasp is playing a theatre near you)