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Ant-Man Star Evangeline Lilly Under Fire After Calling On PM Trudeau to Hear Anti-Vaxxers


Canada recently made headlines when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that the government would be requiring public servants to undergo mandatory COVID-19 vaccination as part of their commitment to the health and safety of their people and this did not sit well on many, including Ant-Man star Evangeline Lilly, who voiced her concern through calling on the head of the state to hear the people and because of this, she is currently under fire and facing backlash.

Evangeline Lilly, playing The Wasp in the upcoming Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, released a statement on her stance against the mandatory COVID-19 vaccination of public servants happening in Canada and she boldly called out Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to hear the people out, especially those who are considered as “anti-vaxxers” and she tells him to listen to what they have to say about the issue.

Lilly voiced her take on the issue through Bridge City News, a program that has been following the Freedom Convoy or the protesters of the mandatory vaccination, and she said that unifying the people is needed first and that it should be the priority of the Prime Minister. She also mentioned virtues such as diplomacy, compromise, and negotiation, one which has kept the country in peace for 152 years.

The Canadian government decided to require public servants to be fully vaccinated and those who would not have it before October 29 of the last year would be sanctioned unpaid administrative leave. Various protests and blockades followed the mandate and they call themselves the Freedom Convoy. Lilly supported the opposition on mandatory vaccination.

Related: Ant-Man Star David Dastmalchian Responds to Evangeline Lilly's Latest Anti-Vax Controversy

This is not the first time Evangeline Lilly has faced backlash due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2020, she said she would not opt with social distancing just because of fear, calling it a “respiratory flu,” but later took her words back and apologized to those who suffered the disease. She even voiced out her difficulties in filming the Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania because of the social distancing practice.

Fans are not happy with what Lilly has been showing since the start of the pandemic and even called for Marvel to replace her with Jennifer Garner. However, since Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania already finished filming, recasting her would not be an option. Still, she is getting canceled for her beliefs like that of fellow MCU star Letitia Wright.

Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania is expected to release in theaters on July 28, 2023.

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