Fairy tale beginning
Lily Collins is a modern, ‘feisty’ Snow White in ‘Mirror Mirror’
She may be known for her porcelain skin, playful doe eyes and striking eyebrows, but don’t define Lily Collins by the famous “fairest of them all” cliché. The 23-year-old actress, who plays Snow White in the colorful, whimsical flick “Mirror Mirror” opposite Julia Roberts and Armie Hammer, out Friday, admits she is reflective by nature, but not about her looks.
It’s a trait, she says, that she shares with her ever-earnest character, Snow.
“She never once looks in the mirror,” Collins note. “It’s always the queen or the prince talking about how beautiful she is. She’s never aware of her beauty or what effect it has on people.
“It’s all about what she finds within herself that propels her forward.”
Collins, whose father is British singer Phil Collins, can relate.
Pushing past the famous last name to stand on her own two feet has been no easy task, but it’s one that has come with big rewards, she admits.
“I feel like a fairy tale is something that takes you out of the ordinary and puts you into the extraordinary,” she muses about her quick trip into the spotlight. “It took a lot of work to get here and I’m ready to work incredibly hard forever.”
In the film, Collins’ interpretation of the princess is a modern, “feisty” woman who saves the prince, but ultimately “has to learn to accept that she can need help” in her quest to fight for what she believes in.
Prior to her starring role, Collins shared screen time with Sandra Bullock in “The Blind Side” and with “Twilight” heartthrob Taylor Lautner in last year’s thriller “Abduction.”
She has even found herself amid tabloid rumors that she’s currently dating “High School Musical” star Zac Efron after the two were spotted spending Valentine’s Day together.
Collins has thus far remained mum about the relationship and her purported Prince Charming.
But it’s been her experiences in front of the camera as a broadcast journalism major at USC that have taught her the most about managing the press.
“The really interesting thing about being a journalist is that you’re known for being you. When you’re on air, people watch you and they feel like they know you as you,” she says. “In a film, you’re just a character.
“I wouldn’t say I know exactly who I am or all the facets of my personality yet. I’m still learning a lot about myself. But at least in interviews and on talk shows, I feel more at ease because I understand the other side of it.”
No smoke and mirrors there.