Lion The Princess who’s becoming a Movie Star
Granddaughter of Virginia McKenna on why she’s swapped catwalk for big screen
THERE’S something about the wide-set eyes, the prominent cheekbones, and even that distinctive smile. Lily Travers is often mistaken for her famous grandmother Virginia McKenna, who is best known for the film Born Free, about the plight of African lioness Elsa.
And the comparisons are about to continue because 24-year-old Lily has now embarked on an acting career that has already seen her rubbing shoulders with A-list stars Sir Michael Caine, Colin Firth and Samuel L. Jackson.
Kingsman: The Secret Service – a Bond-style film that has its London premiere this week – is Lily’s first major role. To land the part, she has had to turn her back on a successful modelling career – but, she says, following in her grandmother’s footsteps was more important.
‘People tell me I look like my granny – and I’m proud of that,’ she says. ‘She is the person who more than any other has inspired me. If I can achieve some of her success, I will be more than satisfied.’
Granny, of course, has starred in some of the most popular and enduring films of our time, among them Carve Her Name With Pride and A Town Like Alice, for which she won a Best Actress Bafta.
But it was her depiction of Joy Adamson in the 1966 wildlife classic, which co-starred her real-life husband Bill Travers, for which she will always be remembered.
It sparked Virginia’s growing concern for the plight of endangered animals and eventually led the couple to establish the Born Free Foundation in 1984. Lily’s father Will is president of the charity.
Lily says: ‘My grandmother taught me so much about being a better person. I’m glad to have been able to learn from her experiences.
‘I’m especially proud of the fact that she then used her fame and influence to improve the lives of animals. She instilled in me and the rest of the family a great passion for all creatures. My brother and I were brought up with an innate sensitivity for animal welfare and we are vegetarians.’
One of Lily’s strongest memories is a two-month family trip to Africa about ten years ago. ‘We went to Kenya and Tanzania, visiting some of the projects the charity supports,’ she recalls.
‘We went to see confiscated ivory and I saw for myself how poachers kill and mutilate elephants just to get their tusks for ivory.
‘They would chop off the animal’s feet to make stools. How barbaric is that? I can’t believe people still think it a status thing to own, along with items like tiger rugs. How could anyone consider such things beautiful when they have come from such barbarity?
‘It was not a comfy ride. I was confronted by sights that were quite shocking. On one anti-poaching patrol we came upon a dead elephant, whose face had been hacked to get the ivory out and the rest of the body was left to rot.
‘The smell was horrendous and it was such a waste. It made me under- stand even more why my father and grandmother do what they do.’
Virginia, now 83, is, by all accounts, a ‘cool’ grandmother. Lily remembers a childhood where bedtime stories were not fictional, but about her grandmother’s early years.
‘She would regale us with tales about being on set in Africa, the things she saw, the famous people she worked with, and even about meeting the Queen,’ Lily says.
‘She was really good at accents and voices – it was like having my own personal drama teacher from a very young age. I soaked it all up like a dry sponge.’
Lily says that she also learned her craft from watching both her grandparents on screen. ‘I watched all their movies, including the animal documentaries that are not so well known,’ she says. ‘I saw how they brought the characters to life with the simplest of gestures.
‘One of the best tips my gran gave me about being an actress was that the eyes are the key to the soul. She said I should be able to convey a lot through my eyes.’
Such was Virginia’s influence that she was the first person Lily told after she landed the role in Kingsman. Lily says: ‘I usually call her after an audition, but this time I was standing by a bus stop shrieking with joy. She was thrilled. She told me to be calm and relax during filming.’
Kingsman: The Secret Service tells the story of a super-secret spy organisation that recruits an unre- fined but promising street kid, who is taken under the wing of suave older spy Harry Hart (Firth).
Lily plays the part of society woman Lady Sophie, but is reluctant to reveal anything more about the character, maintaining ‘it’s all very hushhush until the premiere’.
The rising star has landed a number of minor roles since leaving university, and it is rumoured that director Tim Burton told her she was too beautiful for a role in Charlie And The Chocolate Factory.
She hopes that Kingsman will open the door to more success.
‘It’s my first speaking role and I was a bit nervous, but I kept remembering my grandmother telling me to be calm and just enjoy the experience,’ she says.
Lily may have earned her way working as a model but she says she knew it was not the right path. ‘My gran taught me to always act with integrity. I know that I’ve been very privileged to be part of such an amazing family, but I really want to do it my own way. I don’t want to ride the back of someone else’s wave.’
And although she is now off to Los Angeles where she is hoping to further her career, will she in due course take the baton from her grandmother in promoting the Born Free charity?
‘Acting is my passion, but if I had the opportunity to influence others, then I would work in any way I could to promote and inspire people to care about Born Free,’ Lily adds. ‘It’s something very close to my heart.’