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English actress Lily Jane Collins is creating a name for herself in the States. According to The Globe and Mail, her career began at 15 with a few years of auditions, before landing a role in the 2009 film The Blind Side, alongside Sandra Bullock. (Unless, of course, you count her role on the U.K.’s Growing Pains at just 2 years old.) Lily’s breakout role, though, was in the 2012 movie Mirror Mirror as Snow White, working with Armie Hammer and Julia Roberts.
Over the years, Lily continued to have career-defining roles, including in October 2020 when she starred in the Netflix original series Emily in Paris. Though the one-season show received mixed reviews, per Rotten Tomatoes, the project was still a highlight and testament to the actress’ talents.
While Lily’s career bloomed, her more personal life told a different tale. Besides growing a name for herself in the film industry, the star has worked as a creative writer and journalist. In 2017, the actress published a collection of essays titled Unfiltered: No Shame, No Regrets, Just Me, where she detailed her rocky relationship with her father, drummer and singer-songwriter Phil Collins.
Keep scrolling after the jump to read what the young talent wrote.
Lily Collins says her father Phil Collins’ estrangement led to her ‘deepest insecurities’
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Lily Collins’ 2017 book Unfiltered: No Shame, No Regrets, Just Me gave in-depth and blunt details about her « tumultuous relationship with her father musician Phil Collins in an open letter, » per People. « Because my dad was often gone, I never wanted to do anything that would make him stay away even longer, » Lily wrote. « I became extra careful about what I said and how I said it, afraid he’d think I was angry or didn’t love him. And the truth is, I was angry. I missed him and wanted him there. »
She later continued, « I became extra careful about what I said and how I said it, afraid he’d think I was angry or didn’t love him. And the truth is, I was angry. I missed him and wanted him there. » She also goes into detail about how her father’s « estrangement deeply affected her, » per People.
Lily wrote that her « deepest insecurities stem from these issues with my dad » and it’s taken « over a decade to resolve some of them (others I’m still resolving) and to finally build up the courage to speak my mind to him. » But she still expressed forgiveness toward Phil, writing in the book (via Billboard), « There’s still so much time to move forward. And I want to. I’m inviting you to join me. I’ll always be your little girl. »
