Playing a character (Ellen) who's anorexic in her new film "To The Bones," Lily Collins chose to speak up about her own experience suffering from eating disorders as a teenager for the first time.
“It was terrifying as well. You’re facing something head on that you’ve come out of and now you’re willingly putting yourself back into,” she revealed in the premiere of the film at the Sundance Film Festival.
In an interview with Variety, the 27-year-old actress said that the Marti Noxon-directed movie is important as it teaches to accept oneself and embrace life. "It’s something that a lot of young women go through and there’s no shame in it, and this movie is about that — it’s about embracing your past and about realizing that it’s something that doesn’t define who you are, but it’s about your experiences, surrounding yourself with people that support you, and about surviving and getting through it."
At #Sundance, @lilycollins explained how her past struggles with an eating disorder helped to inform her "To the Bone" character pic.twitter.com/OoI85KMfHW
— Variety (@Variety) January 22, 2017
She also said in an interview with Entertainment Tonight that she got to insert her own take on some scenes as she looked back on her first-hand account. "But at the same time, this was for Ellen; this was research for a character that I could relate to but who is very different from me. It was like therapy - I got to surround myself with very strong women and Marti, who went through it as well,” she shared
Wanting to shed a light on the health issue, Lily finished writing a book about her struggles when she was younger just before she got the script of the film.
"To The Bones" is based on the real-life experiences of Noxon, who suffered from anorexia and bulimia for 10 years. It follows the story of 20-year-old Ellen's fight with anorexia. She later meets a doctor, played by Keanu Reeves, who will make her face her true condition.
What can you say about Lily's revelation? Tell us in the comments!