Evangeline Lilly apologises for insensitive coronavirus comments

Evangeline Lilly has issued an apology for previous comments she made regarding the recent coronavirus outbreak.

The Ant-Man & Wasp actress received backlash last week after she shared on Instagram that despite living with her immunocompromised father with stage IV leukaemia she and her children were continuing with their everyday routines.

Replying to a comment left on her post that suggested that the coronavirus was a hoax, Lilly wrote: “There’s something every election year.

“Some people value their lives over freedom, some people value freedom over their lives,” she told another commenter. “We all make our choices.”

Lilly’s former Lost co-star Maggie Grace later pleaded her to rethink her stance, especially in light of their fellow ex-castmate Daniel Dae Kim testing positive for the coronavirus, which convinced the actress to apologise for her previous “dismissive, arrogant and cryptic message.”

She told fans that she was doing her part “to flatten the curve, practicing social distancing and staying home with my family.”See the post below:

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Hello everyone. I am writing you from my home where I have been social distancing since Mar 18th – when social distancing was instituted in the small community where I am currently living. At the time of my Mar 16th post, the directives from the authorities here were that we not congregate in groups of more than 250ppl and that we wash our hands regularly, which we were doing. Two days later, those directives changed and, despite my intense trepidation over the socioeconomic and political repercussions of this course of action, PLEASE KNOW I AM DOING MY PART TO FLATTEN THE CURVE, PRACTICING SOCIAL DISTANCING AND STAYING HOME WITH MY FAMILY. I want to offer my sincere and heartfelt apology for the insensitivity I showed in my previous post to the very real suffering and fear that has gripped the world through COVID19. Grandparents, parents, children, sisters and brothers are dying, the world is rallying to find a way to stop this very real threat, and my ensuing silence has sent a dismissive, arrogant and cryptic message. My direct and special apologies to those most affected by this pandemic. I never meant to hurt you. When I wrote that post 10 days ago, I thought I was infusing calm into the hysteria. I can see now that I was projecting my own fears into an already fearful and traumatic situation. I am grieved by the ongoing loss of life, and the impossible decisions medical workers around the world must make as they treat those affected. I am concerned for our communities – small businesses and families living paycheck-to-paycheck – and I am trying to follow responsible recommendations for how to help. Like many of you, I fear for the political aftermath of this pandemic, and I am praying for us all. At the same time, I am heartened by the beauty and humanity I see so many people demonstrating toward one another in this vulnerable time. When I was grappling with my own fears over social distancing, one kind, wise and gracious person said to me “do it out of love, not fear” and it helped me to realize my place in all of this. Sending love to all of you, even if you can’t return it right now. EL

A post shared by Evangeline Lilly (@evangelinelillyofficial) on Mar 26, 2020 at 1:29pm PDT

“I am writing you from my home where I have been social distancing since Mar 18th – when social distancing was instituted in the small community where I am currently living,” she posted on Instagram. “At the time of my Mar 16th post, the directives from the authorities here were that we not congregate in groups of more than 250ppl and that we wash our hands regularly, which we were doing.

“Two days later, those directives changed and, despite my intense trepidation over the socioeconomic and political repercussions of this course of action, PLEASE KNOW I AM DOING MY PART TO FLATTEN THE CURVE, PRACTICING SOCIAL DISTANCING AND STAYING HOME WITH MY FAMILY.”

She continued: “I want to offer my sincere and heartfelt apology for the insensitivity I showed in my previous post to the very real suffering and fear that has gripped the world through COVID19. Grandparents, parents, children, sisters and brothers are dying, the world is rallying to find a way to stop this very real threat, and my ensuing silence has sent a dismissive, arrogant and cryptic message.”

Meanwhile, Mark Blum, the broadway actor and star of the movie Desperately Seeking Susan, has died due to complications from the coronavirus. He was 69.

News of his death was shared by Off Broadway theatre company Playwrights Horizons and later confirmed by actor’s union SAG-AFTRA.