Evangeline Lilly

The reality is when you open a door, there is no sense in closing it - so I would never say, 'I'll never act again.' But it's definitely not my priority.

If one day a TV series comes into my head, and that is what I want to write, I'll write it. It just depends what story is in my brain at the time.

There are so many reasons why, for me, writing is superior to acting. One of them is anonymity. Writers can live relatively normal lives.

A creative project is a moving target. You never end up where you start.

I just don't think that a lot of the time the messages we send kids prepare them for real life.

Wonder Woman was my favorite superhero as a little girl. I still have a huge girl crush on Wonder Woman; I think she's amazing.

I don't want to shield kids from reality.

I see kids and young adults walking the streets of L.A. with this enormous sense of entitlement, who seem to think that if they are basically good people and pay their bills, then the world will be good back to them. And I think life isn't always like that.

Believe me, there is nothing more rewarding than making Peter Jackson chuckle.

I love to dance. Don't get me started, because you will never get me to stop.

For a human audience, seeing things that are slightly more otherworldly and beyond human power is always really fun and exciting to watch.

I think of the 'Hobbit' films as being films for the family.

If you go back to, say, the Brothers Grimm or Roald Dahl, you see so much darkness in children's material.

I don't want to just model. Anyone can do that. I've let myself be in magazines in the past without participating as much as I should have.

It would be amazing to play Sylvia Plath. She was so dark, and what came out of her writing was troubled and fierce. The dimensions, levels, layers and levels would be incredible to take on.

I am an opportunist. When opportunities come, and I see them serving my grander goals in life, I take them.

I've been astounded to discover how good to their teams and crew that Marvel are. They're so collaborative, so smart with their stories. They have rich, dynamic characters which are so much fun to play.

If I went for too long without writing, I would start to feel like something inside me was dying.

It is a very frustrating thing to be the face of a creative project and yet essentially have zero creative control over that project. Essentially, you're a pawn in the system.

I do love 'Star Wars,' although I'm not one of those crazy fans who knows everything about everyone.

There are some 'Star Treks' I love, and there are some I don't love.

It's a surprisingly sacrificial job being an actor.

When I act, I come away drained. When I write, I come away energized.

I'm a bit delusional, but every time I do a job, I think I'm retired.

I spent a lot of time in the clouds. Becoming a mother has really helped me put my feet on the ground and given me a very powerful sense of self and a powerful sense of priority in life.

After about five hours of pushing, my midwife and my birthing assistant said, 'You know, we have a few suggestions.' And I was like, 'Really? After five hours of pushing you have a few suggestions? You couldn't have told me five minutes in?'

Saying 'no' is not hard for me; it's scarier for me to say 'yes.' I'm actually more afraid of commitment than of saying 'no.'

When I was 14 years old, I was crazy about Dr. Seuss. I loved the words he made up, and I just thought, 'Well, if he can make up words, then I can make up words.'

By rights, I should be an out-of-work actress because I just don't want it as badly as some people want it.

I'm not a highly social person. I'm a highly productive person.

Your mind and soul are the kings of your physique way more than any exercise you do.

Diets are a fool's errand.

Everyone thinks they can cure stress by adding to their schedule, like going to yoga. Oh, great - one more thing to feel guilty about when you can't do it.

My partner doesn't read. He's not illiterate - he just chooses not to read - and I love reading. I'm obsessed with reading.

When I got old enough to date, I realized that Valentine's Day is just a commercial marketing scam to make men feel bad. So I let my boyfriends off the hook.

In your 20s you can be pretty, but you don't accomplish real beauty until you find wisdom and depth.

I think women in Hollywood who don't do Botox and plastic surgery are revered. I revere them... My plan is to never go there. I'm too vain to get plastic surgery because I don't like how it looks, and I want to look my best.

If you can't sit in a cafe quietly and be ignored, how can you observe human nature and write a story?

Around the time I graduated from high school, I decided better to underachieve and have friendship than to overachieve and be alone.