25 Things About 'Mirror Mirror's' Snow White, Lily Collins

To celebrate the release of the hotly anticipated Snow White movie 'Mirror Mirror,' we've got a crash course of everything you need to know about its star, the delightful Lily Collins!

-Lucia Peters, BettyConfidential.com

Lily Collins
Lily Collins

2012 is certainly shaping up to be the Year of Snow White; and hey, guess what? The first of the two high-profile Snow White films comes out on Friday! Thanks to the popularity of Twilight, you probably already know a good deal about Snow White and the Huntsman's Kristen Stewart; but what about Lily Collins, the rising star of Mirror Mirror, out in cinemas this Friday? When we realized that we knew next to nothing about her, we decided to do a little digging, and believe you me, we found a veritable wealth of fascinating tidbits about this up-and-coming actress, model, and journalist. Ready to go on a fairytale journey with us? Once upon a time…

1. Lily Jane Collins (SUCH a British name!) was born on March 18, 1989. That means she just turned 23. Happy slightly belated birthday, Lily!

2. For the astrologically inclined, that also means that she's a pisces-not unlike, ahem, yours truly. Pisces pride!

3. She comes from a showbiz family: Her father is Phil Collins (yes, THAT Phil Collins), her half-sister is actress Joely Collins, and her half-brother is musician Simon Collins.

4. Though she was born in Guildford, UK, she transplanted to Los Angeles with her mother, American-born Jill Tavelman, when she was five after Jill and Phil divorced.

5. She started acting early-at the age of two! She made her screen debut in the short-lived BBC show Growing Pains (not to be confused with the American sitcom of the same name, which featured a young Leonardi DiCaprio).

6. While in L.A., she studied as a girl at the Youth Academy for Dramatic Arts. Solid theatre training is always a good idea!

Lily Collins Snow White
Lily Collins Snow White

As Snow White, sword-and skirt!-in hand.

7. A pretty considerable amount of time passed between Growing Pains and Lily's next onscreen appearance-but when it happened, it wasn't just as a pretty face. She covered the 2008 Presidential campaign as a host on Nickelodeon's kid-centric news show, Nick News with Linda Ellerbee: Kids Pick the President. She even won a 2008 Young Hollywood Award for Newest Red Carpet Correspondent for it.

8. In light of that little factoid, it probably would surprise you to learn that in between jobs, Lily is working on a degree in broadcast journalism at the University of Southern California.

9. Lily has been into journalism for a long time, too: When she was just a teenager, she wrote a regular column called "NY Confidential" for the British magazine Elle Girl. She's also written for Seventeen, Teen Vogue, and the L.A. Times magazine.

10. But hey, showbiz is showbiz; around the same time she began presenting for Nick News, she also made a couple of appearances on the new 90210 as the character Phoebe Abrams.

11. She landed a few more roles after 90210 in films like The Blind Side, Priest, and (of course) the Taylor Lautner vehicle Abduction, but she was still virtually unknown when she was cast in Mirror Mirror.

12. Lily originally auditioned for the lead in Snow White and the Huntsman, but lost out to Kristen Stewart. Clearly she was meant to play the character in some way, shape, or form, though, because she ended up replacing Saoirse Ronan in Mirror Mirror.

13. Lily had a blast making Mirror Mirror-but she had a complicated love/hate relationship with the costumes. "Don't get me wrong," she said, "they're amazing costumes-the details and colors are absolutely phenomenal and they definitely make me feel like a princess-but they are also very heavy and quite difficult to wear." She continued, "It's hard to eat wearing the corsets. And as for dancing, running, doing stunts and having sword fights… Well, it all adds to the challenge." Beauty is pain? Or something?

Lily Collins
Lily Collins

14. Although she loved working with Mirror Mirror costars Julia Roberts and Armie Hammer,she kind of got beaten up a lot by the two of them. During one of her sword fights with Armie, he managed to whack her for real a few times, leaving her with a bunch of bruises; meanwhile, on another occasion, Julia accidentally yanked some of her hair out. Ouch!

15. Contrary to popular belief, she and Kristen Stewart don't have any sort of Snow White rivalry going on. She told E! Online recently, "We've laughed about the fact that people think we're rivals because to us they're so different." She went on to say, "I think the advertising is kind of genius because both films are being shown in this different way because they are such different stories. I've seen the trailers, and I'm very aware of the other one. We've always been very aware of each other and I'm excited to see what Kristen does. I'm excited for her and vice versa." Hoorah for solidarity among Snow Whites!

16. Lily is also quite the style icon: In 2007, she was chosen by Chanel to wear one of the fashion house's gowns at the 2007 Bal des Debutante in Paris, she was picked by Glamour Spain in 2008 as their International Model of the Year, and in 2009, she appeared on the same magazine's cover. She was also a model during her teen years.

17. Who are her favorite designers? Right now, she lists Alexander McQueen, Monique Lhuillier, Stella McCartney, Vivienne Westwood, and Chanel. Excellent picks, we think.

18. As for her personal style, she likes to mix and match things. She's said, "If there is a vintage gown that screams Lily, I'll gravitate toward that. It doesn't even necessarily have to be a name that everyone knows. So I really like to mix it up, but I always have to have some sense of myself in the dress."

19. Right now, one of her biggest style must-haves is a hot trend for spring: Neon. "I never thought neon was my thing," she's said; but at the same time, "it makes me happy! I think it's a great color for spring."

Lily Collins model
Lily Collins model

Lily during her modeling days.

20. A little while ago, we reported that she would be taking on the role Bruce Campbell made famous in the remake of Sam Raimi's The Evil Dead. As hilarious as the idea was, alas, it was not to be-she later had to drop the film and was replaced by Suburgatory's Jane Levy.

21. She's up on her social media. Follow her on Twitter and on Facebook!

22. Maxim named her one of their "Hottest Daughters of Rock Stars" in 2009. A somewhat dubious honor, perhaps, given that it's Maxim, but still worth noting.

23. Are Lily and Zac Efron an item? Maybe, but we're not sure yet. The two of them were spotted holding hands at STK Restaurant in West Hollywood on one occasion, and a week later, they apparently spent Valentine's Day together. For the time being, though, it remains speculation.

24. Sometime in the future, she'd like to do a British period drama. Even though she normally speaks with an American accent, but due to her British parentage, she says she can do a British accent without even trying. Downton Abbey, are you listening?

25. What's next for Lily? She's recently been cast in the film Writers alongside Jennifer Connelly, Greg Kinnear, and Logan Lerman. Looks like she's moving up in the world!

Be sure to catch Mirror Mirror , in cinemas this weekend!



More BettyConfidential.com

Get Smooth, Healthy Hands!
Alberta Ferretti for Macy's!
Train Like a 'Hunger Games' Tribute