Lily In Lights

Emily in Paris star and face of Cartier’s Clash [Un]limited campaign Lily Collins is big on personal growth. In this BAZAAR exclusive, she speaks to Charmaine Ho about pushing boundaries, evolving and finding a kindred spirit in the French maison

- Charmaine Ho

Actress, author and philanthropist Lily Collins is camera shy—at least, in this instance for our Zoom interview. In the midst of packing and moving out of her Beverly Hills mansion, she hasn’t had a moment to spruce up. So, sadly, I won’t be able to see her on fleek brow game first-hand. But the Emily in Paris star has such a genuinely amiable nature, she feels like a girlfriend you catch up with ever so often over a glass of wine—all this within minutes of meeting her for the first time.

IRL, Collins is quite unlike her Golden Globe-nominated character and her many cringey blunders in the abovementioned show—it’s unlikely you’ll ever find Collins committing French faux pas. The daughter of English music legend Phil Collins and American actress Jill Tavelman is thoroughly world-savvy. She grew up in the English countryside before moving to California with her mum after her parents’ divorce, spending summer days at Lake Geneva skiing with her dad.

“Travelling is a huge part of who I am. Obviously, during this time, we haven’t been able to travel. But travelling and experiencing different cultures and getting outside my comfort zone [are things] that I welcome and really, really miss,” she says. A quick look at her resume is enough to convince that she means what she says and is not averse to pushing personal boundaries.