Evangeline Lilly Explains ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA Was the Hardest to Make, But the Best Yet
Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will see Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly back in action in what is sure to be a wild and crazy new story that plays with the insanity of the Quantum Realm. We don’t know much about the story, but it also sees the return of Michelle Pfeiffer as Janet Van Dyne and Michael Douglas as Hank Pym, along with the return of Loki's Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror. Oh yeah! Then, of course, there’s Bill Murray, who will be playing a villain.
In a recent interview with The Digital Fix, Evangeline Lilly offered some insight on what it was like shooting the film and what made it the hardest one to make so far. But, she also said that this one will be the best one yet! She said:
"We finished filming at the end of November, and I think, hands down, it was the hardest one we've made. It was the most difficult. It was the only one we've made during the Covid lockdowns. That just adds such an incredible complication to making a movie. It adds a lot of stress. It makes things very impersonal because you can't see faces.
"Film sets are already impersonal enough, there is so much that goes on and so much that has to get done in a short amount of time, and the intensity level is really, really high. So it was a very trying experience doing the film with Covid measures ... But I actually think... what we did, the stuff we shot, the material we managed to get, I think it might be the best one yet."
I’m sure we can all relate to how things got harder during the pandemic, but shooting films and TV shows under these conditions is complete madness. But it’s good to know that she is super happy and excited about what they ended up making! I’ve enjoyed Marvel’s Ant-Man movies, and I’m incredibly curious to see what this third one has to offer us and where the story will take these characters.
In a previous interview with Beyond the Mouse, Lilly opened up about playing The Wasp and how female superheroes are being portrayed these days:
"I find myself pushing against this tough badass chick thing. Which is really interesting because at the beginning of my career I was pushing that so hard. I was like Kate [from Lost] is going to be badass. She's going to keep up with all the guys. She is going to be capable and strong. And then this whole massive shift in the industry happened. Suddenly these characters were everywhere. I guess I must be a contrarian by nature. Because I find myself going 'well hang on a minute.' We're all so fragile and vulnerable and small and soft. And I find myself going 'Woah, we aren't supposed to just be men with boobs'. Like what does it mean to be a woman? That question of what does it mean to be a woman is extremely important right now. What I think is crucial is that we're exploring that right now through our stories.
“I'm really excited. I can't give anything away but I think, my hunch is, I may have manifested something in that space in the Marvel world with Hope Van Dyne. Because I think the direction we're going with her might be very satisfying for me in that way."
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is currently scheduled to be released in theaters on July 28, 2023.