Lily Collins is a British-American actress who began her career as a child. Her first screen credit is for the BBC series Growing Pains, which she appeared in at the age of two. She is also the daughter of musician Phil Collins.
In recent years, she has starred in a number of young adult roles, like The Mortal Instruments: City Of Bones (2013) and To The Bone (2017). She also appears in a number of series, including Les Miserables (2018-2019) and The Last Tycoon (2016-2017, the latter of which is her highest-rated screen credit on IMDb. For this list, we'll be looking at the actress's feature film roles.
Updated on December 13th, 2020 by Svetlana Sterlin: Lily Collins has appeared in several more projects since the publication of this list, including the Netflix series Emily In Paris and David Fincher's Netflix film Mank. She continues receiving attention from fans and critics alike for her captivating work across a variety of genres, playing a variety of characters. With this in mind, here are five additional films in which Lily Collins appears.
Inheritance (5.5)
Inheritance is a 2020 mystery-thriller with Collins starring as the lead character, Lauren Monroe. The story begins as the patriarch of a wealthy and influential family dies. In the wake of his death, his daughter and wife discover the shocking inheritance he has left behind.
Most of the film consists of Collins running and out of breath, leaving much to be desired of the plot. Nevertheless, audiences may be intrigued by this mysterious inheritance that threatens to ruin the lives of the late father's family.
Mirror Mirror (5.6)
A 2012 retelling of the Snow White fairytale, Mirror Mirror stars Collins as the lead character, Julia Roberts as her evil stepmother, and Armie Hammer as the prince.
The evil stepmother has a much bigger role in this film than many other versions of Snow White, as much of the narrative is seen from her perspective. With vibrant costumes and colorful sets, this film is a visually pleasing affair.
Rules Don't Apply (5.7)
Written and directed by Warren Beatty, Rules Don't Apply is a 2016 romance-drama about Hollywood. Lily Collins portrays Marla, a contract actress for the legendary Howard Hughes (Beatty).
Alden Ehrenreich plays Frank, Hughes's driver. Frank and Marla fall in love, but alas, their romance is forbidden - by Marla's contract. Frank and Hughes form an interesting bond over the course of the film.
Priest (5.7)
This film is loosely based on the Korean comic of the same name. In this film's universe, humans and vampires have been at war for centuries when Collins' Lucy is kidnapped by the bloodthirsty creatures.
Her uncle, a character known simply as Priest (Paul Bettany), must break sacred vows in order to find and save her. Since vampires are all-powerful and the Church is in power, Priest is disobeying strict law.
The English Teacher (5.8)
The English Teacher is a 2013 drama/romance that stars Julianne Moore in the titular role. Linda Sinclair is a popular high school teacher whose life outside of teaching is lonely and simple. Beyond Moore's charming performances, viewers didn't enjoy much in this movie, giving it an IMDb rating of 5.8/10.
When a past student returns to the small town after failing to make it as a playwright in New York, she takes pity on him and offers to produce his plays at the high school. They engage in an awkward relationship that is threatened by Halle (Collins), who is one of Linda's students and an aspiring actress.
The Mortal Instruments: City Of Bones (5.9)
Based on Cassandra Clare's young adult fantasy novel of the same name, Lily Collins plays the main role of Clary Fray in this adaptation. She's a Shadowhunter, born with angel blood in her veins, which gives her the ability to slay demons.
Unfortunately, the film was a box office flop and the franchise didn't continue beyond its first installment. Fans of the book weren't particularly fond of this adaptation, giving it a rating of only 5.9/10 on IMDb. However, in 2016, a new adaptation found its home on the small screen in the form of the series Shadowhunters (2016-2019).
Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil And Vile (6.6)
Lily Collins stars opposite the unlikely choice of Zac Efron in this dramatization of Ted Bundy's trial. Collins plays Liz, Bundy's suspicious girlfriend who reports his strange behavior to the police. This film has an IMDb rating of 6.6/10.
The film focuses on her story much more than it does on Bundy's criminal activities. Joe Berlinger directs the film and gives Efron a chance to shine in this complex and disturbing role. Kaya Scodelario also stars as Carole Ann, Bundy's wife, and mother of his child.
To The Bone (6.8)
Twenty-year-old Ellen (Collins) struggles with an eating disorder that sees her admitted to many recovery programs, all of which are unsuccessful in helping her on the road to recovery. Her dysfunctional family decides to have Ellen see an unconventional doctor (Keanu Reeves).
Over time, Ellen must learn to accept herself and confront her condition. Liana Liberato (The Best Of Me), Alex Sharp (The Hustle), Carrie Preston (True Blood), and Kathryn Prescott (Skins) also star. Audiences rated this film 6.8/10 on IMDb.
Tolkien (6.8)
Though not praised by critics, audiences seem to like this film, giving it 6.8/10 on IMDb. Nicholas Hoult portrays J.R.R. Tolkien, the revered author of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit books.
The film centers around Tolkien's youth, his courtship with Edith Bratt (Collins), and the outbreak of World War I. These events later inspire him to write the novels for which he is famous.
Stuck In Love (7.2)
Stuck In Love is a movie about a family of writers (Greg Kinnear, Nat Wolff, Lily Collins) grappling with varying ideas of love. With an IMDb rating of 7.2, the story is led by Kinnear's character, a successful author whose wife has left him for another man.
Collins portrays Sam, his nineteen-year-old daughter who despises her mother and the idea of romance. She has her first novel published early in the film but refuses to accept her mother's praise for this achievement. Meanwhile, she meets a musician and college classmate named Louis (Logan Lerman) who is determined to get to know her.
Love, Rosie (7.2)
Based on Cecelia Ahern's 2004 novel, originally titled Where Rainbows End, this adaptation brings to life the written correspondence Rosie (Collins) shares with her friends in the book. Love, Rosie has an IMDb rating of 7.2/10.
The story follows Rosie and Alex (Sam Claflin) as they grow from childhood best friends to young adults leading their own lives. But these two have a habit of coming back to each other, even when they live on different continents.
Okja (7.3)
From Academy Award-winning director Bong Joon-ho, Okja is a Netflix film starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Tilda Swinton, Paul Dano, Ahn Seo-Hyeon, and Lily Collins. A young girl named Mija (Seo-Hyeon) is determined to protect her best friend - a large animal referred to as the "super pig" - from being exploited and slaughtered by a powerful corporation.
Collins's character Red is part of an animal protection group that helps Mija and takes the company down by exposing their cruel practices. Audiences gave this film a rating of 7.3/10 and it is widely considered to be one of the best Netflix original movies.
Tarzan (7.3)
The iconic story of Tarzan has been retold many times through various screen adaptations. The 1999 Disney film is a child-friendly version, brightly colored, with friendly cartoon characters.
Collins isn't well known for this role, where she provides voice acting services for a side character. The film has an IMDb rating of 7.3/10 and was recently added to Disney+.
Mank (7.3)
Lily Collins stars as Rita Alexander, secretary to the titular Herman J. Mankiewicz, or Mank, as he's better known. The story is split across two timelines in which Mank (Gary Oldman) alternately works for the studios and recovers from a car accident and writes Citizen Kane.
Rita is a confidante for Mank in the second timeline as he's convalescing and working on his new screenplay. Rita types for him and so reads every word of the script, encouraging him to keep writing it and that it's his best yet. She also tries to keep him healthy and happy.
The Blind Side (7.6)
Finally, Lily Collins's highest-rated film on IMDb is The Blind Side. Lily Collins stars as a girl named Collins, funnily enough, who is the daughter of Sandra Bullock's character, Leigh Anne Touhey.
The Touhey family adopts a homeless African-American teenager who's a talented football player. Though the film was initially praised and earned Bullock an Academy Award for Best Actress, it has since been criticized for being a white savior movie. However, it still remains one of the most popular movies set in the South.