Though the father-daughter duo had a bittersweet relationship in the past, Lily Collins has taken steps to resolve the issues between them.
Lily Collins made her film debut in 2009's The Blind Side before going on to act in a number of films over the next several years, including Mirror Mirror and Love, Rosie. Since then, the 33-year-old performer has directed several significant Netflix productions, most notably for her work as Emily Cooper in Emily in Paris, which was the #1 comedy on the streaming service in 2020.
Collins is the daughter of Genesis vocalist Phil Collins and his second wife, Jill Tavelman. As per reported by TODAY, Collins thought about removing her last name at one time in her career to be taken more seriously in the business, but in the end, it was her father's own profession that gave her an understanding of the life of an artist and the recognition that came with it.
In her most recent interview on Sunday Sitdown, Collins described when she was attempting to comprehend the scope of her fame and profession as the great Phil Collins' daughter as a little girl. "It was that kind of recognition no matter where he went that he had touched the life of somebody in a very profound way.” The Mortal Instruments actress said, “And to be able to have the kind of confidence and strength to do that, and also maintain a sense of privacy, that’s a fine line.”
Collins explained that she understood becoming too exposed was "always a risk" after seeing what her family had gone through over the years. The Netflix star was aware that her father was unique even as a young child. She recalls seeing a person at Disneyland wearing a T-shirt with Phil's face and thinking, "I didn't quite get it." Even in her early 30s, she acknowledges that she still has trouble understanding the idea of fame. "I can't compute it sometimes 'cause I'm doing what I love," she said.
In contrast, Lily's father has been married and divorced three times. In her 2017 autobiography, Lily Collins Unfiltered: No Shame, No Regrets, Just Me, she even discussed her strained relationship with the musician. “Because my dad was often gone, I never wanted to do anything that would make him stay away even longer,” she wrote. However, she decided to take a step to resolve the issues and speak her mind. She wrote in a letter to her father: “We all make choices and, although I don’t excuse some of yours, at the end of the day we can’t rewrite the past,” according to Grazia. "I forgive the mistakes you made. There’s still so much time to move forward. And I want to. I’m inviting you to join me. I’ll always be your little girl.”
The star explained during her interview that she feels that she grows "so much as a human through what I do, that it takes the work sometimes to make it balance out. But I learned a lot.” About the ups and downs with her father, she said that they don't much much about their respective work. She said, "He says obviously that, you know, he’s proud, but we don’t really talk about that side of things.” She added, “I share my work, but I think I’ve witnessed and learned and grew from what I saw as a kid and continue to still see and we kind of keep it separate.”
References:
https://www.today.com/popculture/tv/lily-collins-reflects-growing-dad-phil-collins-rcna21678
https://graziamagazine.com/us/articles/who-are-lily-collins-parents/
https://www.amazon.in/Unfiltered-Shame-Regrets-Just-Me/dp/0062473018
Cover Image Source: (L) Getty Images | Thomas Niedermueller; (R) Getty Images | Jon Kopaloff
