How Lily Collins found her own spot in the limelight

MANILA, Philippines - Being born to a celebrity parent or parents must be the worst thing that can ever happen to anyone. The pressure builds the minute the child is conceived. The would-be offspring becomes instantly famous but at the same time the poor child also instantly loses his identity — he just becomes “the-son-of-this or that.” The recent hoopla surrounding the birth of the child of England’s Prince William and Princess Kate provides the greatest argument for that.

Of course, there are those who are able to navigate the fame that they are born to and live practically normal lives — on the extraordinary level of normal, that is. Some are able to successfully shun the limelight and lead quiet, anonymous lives. But most often, these children find themselves being drawn to the industry that made their parents famous and expand on the fame of their parents by working their way to their own spot under the limelight.

Lily Collins did that.

No person over 25 in the Philippines would ever admit to not knowing who Phil Collins is. The superstar singer behind some of the greatest songs of the last 30 years — Against All Odds, Groovy Kind of Love, Separate Lives, Another Day in Paradise — may have quietly retreated from the limelight but he’s not totally gone. Or, at least, his famous last name.

Phil has a daughter who’s been quietly making waves in Hollywood for the past couple of years and she’s one talented lady — one who didn’t use her famous last name to just party and promote clubs but one who labored and worked hard, one who paid her dues, so to speak, to reach the kind of success that she is enjoying now. She’s designed clothes, modeled and was a published journalist even before she set her sights on Hollywood!

Yes, the 24-year-old earned her success, her fame. So, it was quite understandable when she respectfully requested to exclude any questions about her famous dad when The Philippine STAR was granted an exclusive interview with her during the junket for her current movie The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones in Los Angeles last month. (Of course, I slipped in a couple of questions about her dad nevertheless!)

“No, it’s not that I don’t want to talk about him. I just think that there’s more to talk about now that I have worked harder. I am the proudest daughter. I love my dad and I’m very proud to carry my last name,” she explained. “I understand when I did my first movie that there are people who didn’t know much about me and there’s not much to talk. I think that, at this point, now with the projects that I’m doing and with the amount of time that’s passed, I am fascinated with what other kinds of questions that I will be asked.”

When I quipped that maybe when I get to interview Phil Collins now, I might have to ask him about having a famous daughter! “That will be very weird,” she gleefully replied. “That would be interesting, I think he’ll probably get a kick out of that.”

She related an experience she had while riding with her friends when an old song started playing on the radio. On hearing the song, one friend exclaimed, “For all of you who don’t know, that’s Lily Collins’ dad!”

Yes, Lily is indeed the more famous Collins now. Last year, she shared topbilling with Julia Roberts in the Snow White film Mirror, Mirror. This year, she plays the lead in the eagerly-anticipated, big-screen adaptation of the first book in the blockbuster fantasy-adventure series, The Mortal Instruments.

In the movie, she plays the part of Clary Fray, a New York teen whose mother disappears the same day she discovers that she has supernatural powers. Armed with this newfound power, she embarks on a dangerous quest to find her mother while discovering her true identity along the way. It’s a thrilling and fantastical film that explores the realm of demons, angels, warlocks, werewolves, vampires and other supernatural denizens of the world that live in the shadows.

During our conversation, we talked about her new movie, her fears, career and, of course, her dad (with belated apologies to the very gracious Lily.)

Below are excerpts from our 10-minute conversation:

What aspect of your character did you relate to most?

“Her relationship with her mom and the fact that she is on this quest to find her and that’s what propels the story forward. I am incredibly close with my mom so I can completely relate to that. And her fears and her anxiety and her passion to get her back were something I also would feel. She is so feisty and determined and passionate about who she is and her journey and her mission — I’d like to think that I am also those things.”

Your character is a teenager. When you were a teenager, were you similar to her in some aspect?

“I was always a very determined and passionate teenager. I started auditioning for movies when I was 16  as well as writing for magazines as well as pitching ideas to networks. I was very determined to have a voice out there.”

The theme of the movie is about the supernatural, did you relate in some way to this?

“Yeah. I love fantasy since I was little. I love fantasy books and I believe that there are things out there that maybe we don’t know about, you know, whether spirits or just energy. I never say never so there are, I think, other things out there.”

You talked earlier about the ghost experience you had?

“Yeah, in Dublin. I feel things sometimes that I can’t explain. Maybe they’re nothing but it makes me not doubt things.”

Does it make you feel weird about yourself?

“No, no, definitely not! I don’t think I have supernatural powers, I just think that maybe I am more open to the idea than other people. I can feel things — I don’t know.”

I am just curious, are you religious?

“No, not necessarily.”

I asked because I was supposed to ask if you pray.

“I grew up going to a Catholic school so I experienced going to church and all that but it’s not something that’s a part of my daily life. I definitely send positive thoughts out there. I’d like to think that certain people are watching over me, like my grandmother.”

Personally, I believe in that, too. My dad is dead and whenever I pray, I pray to him to pray for me.

“I think if you feel strongly about a communication that you are having with someone or a feeling that you get when you think of someone then that’s the person that maybe makes you feel stronger. To me, I feel that those are the people who are watching over me.”

How about the things that scare you most personally?

“I think I am scared that I won’t live each moment to its fullest. Sometimes, I think that I am so caught up in what’s coming up that I forget to enjoy the present. The past is the past, you can’t repeat it so it’s really making sure that I enjoy each moment and I don’t want any regrets. It’s more of the fear of losing out or missing out on the present.”

You are not the kind of person who overthinks too much about life, are you?

“I don’t overthink things. It’s so easy in my job to have a schedule and keep looking ahead that I am constantly thinking of what’s next instead of being in the now. But I am very aware of that so it’s something that I am dealing with every day.”

When did you start acting actually?

“I did a TV show when I was two  but I hardly count that. The Blind Side was my first movie and I was 20.”

The Blind Side with Sandra Bullock? You’re kidding me! I can’t recognize you in that movie!

“Really!? Oh, yeah, I was the daughter. That was my first movie. I was in college and I just done two episodes on a TV show and I got that movie and it was my first one.”

Why acting?

“I’ve always loved telling stories. My parents would read me books going to bed and they would do different voices. I’ve always loved reading and whenever I would read, I would create a movie in my head. It was almost like telling myself the story and so to be able to be someone that tells the story to other people and is able to be a part of that is amazing and that’s acting.”

What’s been the most challenging thing about acting so far?

“Leaving the idea behind that you are being judged as a character. Like, on the set, being very vulnerable and embarrassing yourself or being scared and nervous. You are not doing it as yourself, you are being a character and it’s okay to be vulnerable and scared because the best moments can come from that — and that’s a humanizing emotion. So, it is putting all preconceived ideas aside and becoming someone and being in the moment — not worrying what you look like doing it.”

Did you go to acting school?

“No. It’s people-watching. My mom and I have traveled so much together that I just would draw from people that I remember seeing. I’ve always been friends with her friends at a young age so I feel like I’ve met so many people that I can draw from.”

Was having a famous last name advantageous to you?

“It didn’t matter at all.”

Would you rather have not used the last name?

“I never did though. I went to a room as an actor. I went in as someone who was vying for the part like everyone else. It is never something that I played on — it, obviously, is part of me but it’s not what defines me. I never wanted it to define any talent or any path that I was on.”

Among your siblings, are you the only one into acting?

“My older sister was an actress. Now, she’s into producing. Her name is Joely Collins. My older brother is a musician and my two younger ones are still in school.”

(This is the part when I really had to squeeze in a question about her dad.)

About your famous dad, what is your favorite Phil Collins song?

She smiled. “Oh my god, I’m going to be quite boring. I am going to say, You’ll be in My Heart from Tarzan because it was written as a lullaby for me. It’s the most sentimental for me.”

How do you deal with fans (like this writer!) of your dad who asks you lots of questions about him?

“A lot of people tell me that they admire him and love him. To me, that’s so sweet because I love him as well and I am very proud of him. I pass it along and he appreciates it.”

(Released by Pioneer Films, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones opens in theaters on Wednesday, Aug. 21.)