Legend’s Daughter Star Appeal
Lily Collins was born primed for success in Hollywood
A Staff Writer chats with Phil Collins’ daughter
Lily Collins was born into show business; and as the daughter of singing legend Phil Collins, she was always primed for success. Vivacious and sparkling, she speaks in an upbeat and confident manner, and is ever smiling and gracious.
While her ascent into the mainstream hasn’t been as accelerated as her father’s was when his band Genesis began making waves at the end of the 1970s, Lily is a singer and actress who has considerable clout.
She made a breakthrough in 2019 opposite Zac Efron in the movie about serial killer Ted Bundy titled Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile.
This film is merely one more creative undertaking for Collins who has also published her first book titled Unfiltered: No Shame, No Regrets, Just Me. It gave way for the movie To the Bone, where she plays a young woman who is struggling with anorexia.
“I am at the stage where lots of opportunities come crashing in at once – it’s not a bad thing but it does put the pressure on selecting the right one“
“I am at the stage where lots of opportunities come crashing in at once – it’s not a bad thing but it does put the pressure on selecting the right one,” reveals Lily.
More recently, her impeccable delivery in the Netflix drama Windfall proved that Collins is as adept in the crime thriller genre as she has been with romantic comedy. Yet, last year’s biggest success was the return of Emily in Paris – a third season, suggesting presence and longevity away from the somewhat more unstable crossings of film work.
The TV series is about American beauty executive Emily Cooper who moves from Chicago to the French capital for a job opportunity.
It’s not only a delight visually – teetering down the grand avenues of Paris in divine couture outfits, swooning in Parisian patisseries and salons, and relishing the obligatory scene with the Eiffel Tower as a backdrop – it is also fun, a little bit sexy and deeply romantic.
“Paris is perhaps the only city where when you go there to work, it still feels like you are on a holiday or city break“
Certainly, if her career can play out for the same length of time as her father’s did, she will be happy – although piggybacking on his success has never been of interest to Lily. She wants to carve her own niche and appears to be doing a pretty good job of it.
Q: Returning to Paris must have been a big thing for you, both in terms of the city itself and the fact that it validates the success of the series Emily in Paris?
A: Paris is perhaps the only city where when you go there to work, it still feels like you’re on a holiday or city break.
I am mesmerised by its charm and always feel on each visit that it is revealing more of its secrets to me. My hope is that I would get the chance to explore Paris more – but yes, it’s always lovely going back and the success of the series has been so warming.
Q: Things have really gathered pace for you over the past few years…
A: I guess so. I’ve never wanted to be too greedy or impatient with roles but I do feel that there’s a lot to look forward to now. And since I haven’t always had offers coming in left, right and centre, it’s easy when that happens.
Q: Who has had the greatest influence on your career?
A: I would probably say Warren Beatty – he would tell us great stories about old Hollywood. He was also able to isolate us from our environment and the ‘21st century’ tag.
Warren was like a true mentor to me. How many young actors get the chance to have someone who is smart, kind and knows everything about the business, spending a lot of time trying to guide and impart their knowledge to them?
When it came to acting, his main advice was to be very present and allow me to surprise myself. That way, I can be true to all the emotions my character is experiencing, and allow myself to be spontaneous and real, rather than acting in the strictest sense.
“Paris is perhaps the only city where when you go there to work, it still feels like you are on a holiday or city break“
Q: You’re the daughter of a very famous singer and show business personality. How much has that influenced your understanding and passion for the industry?
A: I was raised in a home that was immersed in Hollywood culture and history. My mother is very interested in the history of the film industry and our house is full of memorabilia.
My grandmother was a ballerina during that period, and I studied a lot of her photos and watched a lot of movies from that era, to get a feel for how people carried themselves and spoke. There’s something so mysterious and alluring about old Hollywood. I’ve always admired legendary actresses such as Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Natalie Wood and Lana Turner.
I love the way the camera lingered on actresses of that era. You see them take in information and respond to it, and also how they would allow their characters to reveal themselves to their audiences.
– Compiled by hub.branded