Lily Collins Quotes
Actress
I really think everything happens for a reason.
There's this common perception that having a famous last name is all you need. A surname may get you a meeting, but if there's no talent you won't get the part.
Growing up in the English countryside, I feel like I'm in a Jane Austen novel when I walk around. I just feel comfortable and confident in those surroundings.
It's really important to stand up for yourself and not always agree with what people say if indeed you don't feel that that's true.
I've always loved being active, and I used to do sports - basketball, soccer, volleyball - growing up.
I'm very British at heart. When I come to England, I say I'm coming home, and then it's funny: when I leave England to go back to L.A., I also say I'm going back home.
My mom is such a strong, independent, strong-willed woman, and she always taught me to accept my worth for how I viewed myself and female empowerment, and it's okay to be independent and also need someone at the same time. I kinda get to be both.
I think it's just important to not judge people based on their physicality because it's really about personality and people's hearts and souls. That's what drew me to Audrey Hepburn who is kind of like my icon.
My dad knows how to tell a story. He'd make me laugh by doing all the different voices.
As a fan of reading - I've always loved reading - I just love reading books that take me away for a little while and let me disappear. And that's why I loved 'Harry Potter' growing up.
My advice for girls who are waiting for their Prince Charming is to be open for anything. Be open to new experiences, be open to the idea that it may take longer than you want, but if you're open to meeting new people and new adventures, then love will come along.
My mother used to take me to flea markets in my stroller, and I would just rummage through the piles. You've got to dig through the overstuffed racks that everyone else just walks by. It's the only way to find the cool stuff.
I'm constantly surprised by human nature and humanity. And I think that's why I love what I do: because I love to story-tell and bring new characters to life.
I've been so fortunate to work with so many successful women who are moms as well.
I really, really love Lucy Hale.
I think we all want to fit in at a young age.
I've always loved big eyes, like those of Audrey Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor. But my mother didn't allow me to wear make-up until I was 15.
I remember the screen test for 'Gossip Girl' was on the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank. I was about 17 or 18 years old at the time. I remember driving onto the lot and going, 'Oh my God. This is surreal.'
I'm a fashion gal through and through.
I'm just fascinated by visiting actual castles in the countryside.
Makeup, in general, is amazing.
I've always loved fashion design. I love drawing and creating looks and styling.
I don't know if this is too weird to say, but this is completely surreal for me. Bizarre. The cover of 'Teen Vogue' has been on my bucket list forever.
My older siblings and I all work in 'the industry'. So obviously we have hectic schedules, but we make it work.
I'm trying to be the most vibrant version of myself.
I always loved dressing up and telling stories.
I've grown up being obsessed by 'Harry Potter.'
The less you have on your face, the less there is to go wrong.
I love Helena Bonham Carter because every character that she portrays, she's just something completely different. And she has that quirky factor that she just owns.
At a party recently I was introduced to Meryl Streep, and it took me a second to get my head around it. You know, that I'm meeting these people now. I'm doing it.
My last name may have opened doors, but I have to keep them open.
I've grown up seeing the pros and cons but I love it and I've always wanted to act. Throughout all the rejections at auditions, and especially when I finally did get something, both my parents have been so supportive and always told me it is all about passion and, if I was doing it because I love it, there's no wrong choice.
I'm in a relationship with myself. I think a lot of young girls should do that.
I love getting oxygen facials because I travel a lot. My skin gets pretty dry with all the airplanes.
I'd love to dive into a comedy.
I think, in life, we want to surround ourselves with people who make us think and question ourselves, and those are the types of films I want to do and the types of characters that I hope I get to continue to play.
I don't like reading things that people say on the Internet because I know so much of it is not true. I don't want to waste my time worrying about what other people are thinking. I just want to focus on being able to do cool projects.
Every movie that I'm in is very different in terms of aesthetic and costume. I mean, from 'Mirror, Mirror' to 'Mortal Instruments,' I went from dressy dresses to leather and heels and tight, sexy, chic outfits.
It used to bother me - having bigger, fuller brows. I even plucked them once so I'd fit in, but I hated them and couldn't wait for them to grow back. Now I embrace them. I realized the quirky things that make you different are what make you beautiful.
As a little girl living in the English countryside, I used to go running around in the forests, creating my own fairy tale.
I sing some songs but don't expect me to release an album anytime soon.
Never once does 'Snow White' herself look in the mirror so she isn't aware of her beauty or what apparently that does to people. It's really just the queen and the prince that talk about it.
I've only ever known growing up across different countries - to me it's just fun.
I have amazing memories of being able to travel and being able to have family all over the world.
I was actually the one who decided to move to LA. Mom and I were driving on Sunset Boulevard during one of our trips back to see her family, and I said, 'Can we just stay?' So we did.
To play someone I loved in my favourite fairytale as a kid is a total honour.
I've grown up knowing that you put as much of your private life out there as you feel comfortable with.
But the thing is, I was never looking at a strategic way of gaining fame. That's not why I'm doing this.
I think I've been brought up very well by both my parents. I am very cautious and I think I'm now fit for the world I'm in. They're very much behind my modelling and very supportive.
At first, I didn't hang out with celebrity kids. That wasn't the way I was brought up. I went to a run-of-the-mill Catholic primary school when we first moved to L.A. But then I went to a high school where there were lots of 'industry' children. Those weren't my best friends and I've never set out to make myself a part of that scene.
Everything for me has happened so quickly. I finished shooting 'The Blind Side' not this past June, but the June before, and all of sudden up to now, it seems like it's gone from zero to 60 for me. I feel so fortunate to be able to say that.
I had some difficult times when I first moved to Los Angeles when people would tell me I was saying things wrong. I felt different although my mum kept reminding me it was OK to be different.
I grew up understanding the pros and cons of what you're getting into and knowing what comes with your job. I like to keep my private life private, and then work is work. I feel so far I've had a really good balance with that.
I've always loved Jane Austen's writing.
When it comes to the work, I'm excited to see what people think. When it comes to the private life, that's when I don't pay attention.
I'm drawn to roles that have real substance, that aren't just the victim or the teenage girl or the girlfriend.
No, I like to wear as least amount of makeup as I can during my everyday life because I'm just all about keeping my skin healthy and hydrated and I love to laugh and have a great time and smile - that's when I feel the most pretty so I just want to make sure that I stay happy.
A lot of my friends aren't working, especially since fewer films are being made now and there's more competition.
My parents read me fairy tales every night and I used to believe I was a fairytale princess, like every young girl. I had all the Disney dressing-up costumes and would play every character.
I was raised by my mom, pretty much, and she just had this very non-judgmental, having no shame about yourself, no regrets, just trusting your gut and your instinct, and treating yourself with respect.
Art is an amazing form of being able to share our experiences and tell stories and hopefully relate to other people, but you don't know how everyone else is always going to react to what you put out there.
Entertainment is a great form of being able to tell a story and to spread a message.
The journalist in me always loved relating and socialising and connecting with people, but there came a point where I needed to make a decision to stop that being my focus and really focus on acting - an audience are only really going to believe me as a character to an extent if they don't know me as Lily that well.
When I went through my eating disorder, I never sought medical assistance. I created myths in my head about how I should get through things, so the idea that I could surround myself with truth and feel comfortable enough to speak mine allowed me to breathe.
I grew up being obsessed with old Hollywood and loving the history, what's behind the scenes, and what people don't know.
There's so many different things that you can physically change for a character.
Many of my deepest insecurities stem from my issues with my dad.
From a young age, I've had a desire to put forward this perfect image, whatever perfect was.
You always hope someone will take you under their wing and teach you - when it's Warren Beatty, it's like, 'Oh my God, how is this real?'
As an actor, you gain weight, you lose weight, you change your hair color, and you make changes physically and emotionally to be able to understand the character.
I've always been a firm believer that you don't have to close one door in order to open another.
I was very lucky that my first film, 'The Blind Side,' I worked with Sandra Bullock.
I love fashion and always have something put together, but I won't wear anything specifically to be photographed in. I have become more cautious of making funny faces in public.
I couldn't handle the pain and confusion surrounding my dad's divorce, and I was having a hard time balancing being a teenager with pursuing two different grown-up careers.
To be able to say, 'I'm going to be Snow White' - it's crazy. It's an honor.
I'm passionate about speaking out against bullying and speaking up for self-awareness with young people and body-image issues and self-esteem issues.
Even in L.A., where everyone's in yoga pants, I've never been the girl to run around in sweats.
I'm a huge fan of the series of books by Cassandra Clare, 'The Mortal Instruments.'
I've always been a huge admirer and lover of Alexander McQueen, Alexander Wang. I love so many British designers like Stella McCartney.
I love to write down things I notice about people or things I've overheard people saying that are interesting. I love people-watching, and I love taking the time to notice the small things.
I love mixing in high street stuff and vintage.
I would love to do a British period drama.
I don't choose projects according to the idea of being a role model. To be considered as one is definitely an honor.
I've always loved writing.
Don't let the American twang fool you. I still say, 'I'm going home,' when I come to England, and I love a good old cup of PG Tips with a Jaffa Cake.
Every day, there is a person following me, taking pictures. It's bizarre because I'm just going to the gym or getting a smoothie. I don't have the time or energy to be constantly put together all the time, but that's real life.
There is a Twitter account apparently dedicated to my brows. I do not Tweet on it, but... they talk about who they've seen today.
My mum always removed her make-up at night and taught me early on about the importance of taking care of your skin, especially when you're travelling or extremely busy, because it's so easily affected by your surroundings and health.
I rarely, rarely - unless it's a big red carpet - wear all one designer.
So much has changed since the '70s and '80s when it comes to acting and being in the public eye. We'd go out to a restaurant, and there would be five or six people. Now there's a lot more, plus social media, and this desire to bring other people down.
I graduated high school, and I always wanted to go to college, but I also really wanted to work at a young age. At 18, I was pitching talk show ideas to different networks. I was a journalist.
Not many people know my father was an actor. He was the Artful Dodger in 'Oliver!,' and was in a film called 'Frauds,' too. It's interesting talking to him about acting, how much you can get turned down, and how not to take that as a discouragement. It's nice to have that element to relate to for us both.
I've never acted fully impulsively. I think with my mind and my heart.
There's so many stories to tell in Hollywood in the Golden Age that stems from truth.
I sang for 'Mirror Mirror.' I love singing.
I grew up knowing the pros and cons of the business and knowing what comes with pursuing what you love in terms of being in the public eye. I also grew up among people that were considered celebrities and people that people admired.
I feel like what Director Bong is so amazing at is taking so many things and presenting them to you - never telling you how to think, but, if you leave the theater thinking something, we've done our jobs right.
I've had to prove myself. But I'm driven, and I would love to make my own mark on the world.
I've always been weirdly interested in food documentaries.
I like acting impulsively, but I'm also extremely thoughtful about what I do. So, it's not like someone would say 'Don't do something,' and I'd automatically go, 'I'm gonna do it anyway.'