Lily Collins, who played a young woman battling anorexia in the 2017 American drama film To the Bone, told Glamour Magazine that she lost about 20lbs (9kg) preparing for the role in the Netflix movie that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.
Lily Collins lost 20lbs (9kg) to portray a patient with anorexia in the Netflix drama film To the Bone (Credit: Netflix)
“They never gave me a number or a goal weight, but I ended up losing around 20lbs. My nutritionist put me on lots of supplements and I was eating every meal, just specific things. I was very proud of the fact that I was never overly tired, I never missed a day of work and I never forgot my lines,” she revealed.
“We really made sure to maintain a semblance of control over the situation and also just to make sure my body was functioning the way that it should. I was reminding myself daily that I was hired as an actor, not because of the body I would have attained by suffering,” the actress added.
Lily Collins’ emaciated-looking frame as 20-year-old college dropout Ellen in Netflix’s To the Bone (Credit: Netflix)
Collins previously suffered from an eating disorder, which made her nervous about taking on the role of a 20-year-old college dropout named Ellen (Eli) dealing with anorexia.
“I was anxious, but the anxiety was driving me forward because I wanted to do this movie for a greater purpose. It served a greater story than just my own and I was excited by the idea of taking what’s considered a taboo subject and bringing it to more people. I think it’s super necessary in this day and age to make these conversations more accessible to young people, so that was really exciting to me.”
The controversial Netflix film To the Bone starring Lily Collins was criticized for glamorizing eating disorders (Credit: Netflix)
The film’s director, Martha Mills Noxon, told People it was Lily Collins who made the choice to lose weight for the role.
“We never asked her to lose a certain amount of weight. There was a discussion, and we didn’t have very much time. We only had about four weeks between her signing on and starting filming, because of her schedule. And it was really more of a conversation about what’s going to make you feel, as an actor, prepared for the role, but also how do we keep you safe, and not at a dangerous weight that’s going to be triggering for you,” Noxon said.
Lily Collins in a Georges Hobeika Fall 2019 Couture dress and Jimmy Choo Pattie platform sandals arrives at the 2019 Harper’s BAZAAR Celebration of ‘ICONS By Carine Roitfeld’ held at The Plaza Hotel on September 6, 2019, in Manhattan, New York City (Credit: Avalon / WENN)
“For me, I just wanted to feel like I was paying homage to the 16-year-old girl that I was, that would’ve wanted to see this movie, but at the time I was just an actor playing a character,” Collins told Access Hollywood about her own experience dealing with an eating disorder.
Actress Lily Collins wears a Halston Heritage skirt and a Fallon necklace at the ‘The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones’ (Chroniken der Unterwelt) Germany premiere at Sony Centre on August 20, 2013, in Berlin, Germany (Credit: WENN)
“There was never a weight goal, there was never a number. It’s something that I decided to do as an actor for a role. You lose weight, you gain weight, you change your hair color. There are so many different things that you can physically change for a character.”
To make Lily Collins look even skinnier and anorexic, the filmmakers employed special effects, wardrobe, makeup, and prosthetics.
Project Heal, a non-profit organization focusing on equitable treatment access for eating disorders, criticized Collins’ decision to lose weight.
“We in no way intend to endorse the idea that people with anorexia nervosa can lose weight safely. This was a creative decision on the filmmakers’ part, and filming was completed before Project HEAL got involved in the film,” Project HEAL wrote in a statement.
“There is strong research showing that getting into a state of negative energy balance and/or losing weight can make people who have struggled with anorexia nervosa much more prone to a relapse. The weight loss aspect is not something that Project HEAL supports.”
Lily Collins has always been vocal about her enviable “best friend” relationship with her mom Jill Tavelman.
Lily Collins hides behind her hair while out in Beverly Hills on March 17, 2016 (Credit: WENN)
The actress is pretty quiet when it comes to talking about her relationship with her celebrity dad, Phil Collins, and her four other step-siblings, but her love for her mother knows no bounds.
In March 2016, the then-27-year-old was spotted out shopping with her mom, Jill Tavelman, in Los Angeles.
Lily Collins and her mom, Jill Tavelman, spend a day shopping in Los Angeles (Credit: WENN)
Lily wore a pair of jeans with a black-and-white checkered top, which she layered under a zip-up top with folded sleeves and a pair of sunglasses.
The most interesting part of her outfit was her casual Rag & Bone “Sabine” slip-on shoes, which had a unique cut to them.
Lily Collins’s feet in Rag & Bone slip-on shoes (Credit: WENN)
In addition to the unique cut, they also feature a unique two-toned leather-and-suede upper.
Jill Tavelman and daughter Lily Collins wear simple outfits while out in Los Angeles (Credit: WENN)
On March 18, 2016, Lily celebrated her 27th birthday with her mother, taking it as yet another opportunity to express her love and gratitude for her maternal figure.
The actress had once again broken up with her on-again-off-again beau Jamie Campbell Bower, which explained why her doting mom had been with her a lot.
You can order Lily’s chic Rag & Bone “Sabine” slip-on shoes at Net-A-Porter, Shopbop, and Nordstrom.
Rag & Bone “Sabine” Suede and Leather Slippers, $375
Rag & Bone “Sabine” Perforated Leather Slippers, $375
