LILY JAMES
ACTRESS LILY JAMES ON HER BIG BREAK ON ‘DOWNTON ABBEY’, FALLING FOR MATT SMITH AND RE-EVALUATING HER LIFE AT 30
ON HER BIG BREAK ON Downton Abbey
AND FALLING FOR FELLOW ACTOR MATT SMITH
The worlds of Downton Abbey and Eastenders don’t often collide. But in Danny Boyle’s latest endeavour, Yesterday, the two do exactly that! The film – set in a world that has forgotten the music of The Beatles – stars Downton’s
rebellious aristocrat Lily James, alongside former Albert Square market inspector Himesh Patel. And Lily, 30, can’t get enough of her ‘spectacular’ co-star!
Since waving goodbye to her Downton
character Lady Rose, Lily’s rise to fame has been rapid. Her breakout role paved the way for blockbuster films such as Cinderella, War & Peace and, most recently, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.
But while it may seem like her face is everywhere right now, the Surrey-born actress has been thinking very carefully about her choice of roles. She recently said: ‘I wanted to move out of doing period dramas, or at least try to explore different avenues.’
Amid the glamour of Hollywood, Lily reveals that it’s her mother Ninette who helps keep her feet on the ground. ‘My mum is so proud of me,’ she says. ‘As long as
I’m happy, I think I’ll be fulfilling her dreams.’
No doubt it helps that her partner is also in show business. Lily began dating The
Crown star Matt Smith after meeting him on the set of Pride And
Prejudice And Zombies
in 2014, and the pair are rumoured to be engaged. Although they tend to remain tight lipped about their romance, Lily says:
‘Right now, I’m having a great time in my life and
I’m very happy. I have an amazing family, friends and relationships.’
Here, Lily opens up about being an old romantic, almost following a different career and why stepping into Meryl Streep’s shoes was so terrifying...
Lily, you turned 30 in April – how did it feel to say goodbye to your twenties?
You re-evaluate your life and things come sharply into perspective. I’ve been working non-stop and playing so many different roles that I felt a bit like I was losing a sense of myself. I wanted to slow down, I wanted to reconnect to myself. I decided I wanted to travel more, because I often travel for work but I don’t get to see places. I wanted to spend a bit of time away.
Do you still have the sense of adventure you had when you were younger?
When I was 20, I went off travelling and all I wanted was more – more of everything and more of everyone. I was very hungry. I felt very fearless, but I wasn’t cynical. At that age, it feels like the world is yours to conquer – but I think cynicism creeps in as you get older.
There have been rumours that you and Matt are engaged. Have you always dreamed of marriage? I don’t dream about that stuff. I just want to live each day and invent my own rules. Right now, I’m having a great time in my life and I’m very happy. I have an amazing family, friends and relationships.
What can a man do to win you over? Have a cool car! No, probably not. On one of my very first dates with my boyfriend, he
had a lovely Audi and I spilled an entire vanilla milkshake in his car! It went into the cracks of the seats and everywhere. I remember thinking, oh no! It was a real make-or-break moment. I went and bought bicarbonate of soda from a local shop and I started to scrub it with a sponge. That didn’t work. It was fine in the end. He didn’t break up with me. In fact, that was the moment I knew [he was the one for me].
Do you believe in love at first sight?
I actually do. I think you can have an instant spark with someone that’s hard to explain. I’m very romantic.
What’s been the most memorable pick-up line someone’s ever used on you?
I was walking to the park the other day when this guy drove up in a car and said; ‘Did you just drop something?’ I said: ‘No.’ And he said: ‘Yes, you did. It was my jaw.’ It was so corny! I kept walking, but I think because I laughed he thought he’d got in there. No way.
Have you ever experienced love that made you a better person?
I think that’s the ideal. I think that’s what love is at its best – where you are able to fulfil yourself, but also be much stronger together.
How much did Downton Abbey change your life?
Downton Abbey is completely and totally responsible for how my career has gone. I think every job you get is influential on the next, that’s how it works. But Downton Abbey made me, and I don’t think I would have got Cinderella if I hadn’t been in Downton.
Did you always want to become an actor?
When I left school, I was going to do psychology and philosophy at university – but then I got my place at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama. I don’t know what I would have done if I hadn’t been successful
in this career. I never really considered a different job – other than singing. I really loved singing, so maybe I would have done more of that.
How did it feel to be cast as a young Meryl Streep in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again?
I think Meryl Streep is one of the greatest actors of all time, so the idea of playing her panicked me. But then I decided to just go for it. I watched the original movie hundreds of thousands of times – so much so that I could mimic the entire film. I knew every gesture and every eye roll. But I also watched a lot of Meryl’s films when she was younger. Someone said to me: ‘You get to study Meryl Streep? What a gift.’ And that was exactly my job. It was a lot of fun.
What did you learn when you studied her acting?
This isn’t a cop-out, but I learned that Meryl is pretty unlearnable. The way she inhabits characters is incredible. I don’t know how she does it. There’s a stillness and an honesty in her performances, but because she understands humans so acutely, she
can make them funny. She can find the humour in life, as well as the heartbreak, and she alternates between the two in a way that I’ve never really seen before. I would watch how she stood and I practised her laugh. The way she speaks is intoxicating and emotional and charismatic. She’s incredible.
Tell us about your new film… Yesterday is a movie that’s unique and very different. It’s based around the idea that everyone on Earth has forgotten about the music of The Beatles – apart from a guy called Jack, who is played by Himesh Patel. Himesh is spectacular. Yesterday is not a musical, but it’s really vibrant. The characters are funny and it’s a love story, too.
How much fun did you have while you were shooting?
Danny Boyle is the director, and it was written by Richard Curtis, so it feels like the match made in heaven that you would never have expected. Danny’s got more enthusiasm than any director I’ve ever worked with. He jumps around the set, which is very infectious, but he’s also really emotional. If you’re shooting a sad scene, he’ll be crying there with you. I loved working with him.
‘I just want to live each day and Invent my own rules’