Nothing great in the world has ever been accomplished without passion.
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
What are you passionate about? What drives you?
I often ask myself those questions with regards to my relationships….my career….my pursuits. They are what drive my decisions and actions. I love that quote by Hegel because without passion…drive…motivation…we aren’t going to accomplish the kind of greatness we desire.
A few weeks ago, I spent some time with Lily Collins (Snow White) and a few other parenting bloggers in anticipation of her latest film Mirror Mirror. which opens in theaters nationwide today. As I listened to her talk about how she learned sword fighting and fencing and sung Bollywood at the end of the film, the word that kept coming to mind was passion. “Everything was a lesson,” she recalled as she described how the dwarves wrestled with her and threw her. “It took some time to maneuver and determine how to find my way [and] getting it right involved a lot of training.” Four months, to be exact. Despite the fact that both Lily Collins and Armie Hammer (Prince Alcott) had stunt doubles, many of the film’s scenes include the work they had done. “Being able to do the stunts was a really huge part for me, it was a great challenge,” she stated emphatically. “It was important for me to fully BE Snow. I really felt so connected to this film that I didn’t care how much I had to be pushed to learn something. I really wanted it to be all me.” Even at 22, Collins has the type of determination that will further her career.
As we sat with Collins, we learned that her career really began at the age of two but it wasn’t until she was 15 or 16 that she started pursuing acting professionally. As is common in the industry, she was told no repeatedly. But rather than get discouraged, it only made her work harder. In fact, Collins had the foresight and knowledge into the industry to understand the bigger picture and began pursuing practice in journalism. “I really love the whole big picture of this business,” Collins stated. She began to write, pursuing journalism with Nickelodeon, Extra, E, and a variety of networks. Ironically, she was interviewing the actors she wanted to work with and the actors she had worked with, all while coming to an understanding of how these two worlds intersected. Collins is an amazing role model for young women in pursuit of their passions. She worked hard, sought out a variety of experiences, educated herself about the industry, and refused to give up. That is true passion.
Collins’ hard work and talent paid off ,and along with starring alongside Sandra Bullock in the film The Blind Side and Taylor Lautner in the film Abduction, she has experiences in writing and journalism that set her apart from most actors in the industry. In fact, Collins taps into her writing often. “[When I see] people that I want to emulate in a character — I use my journalistic skills.”
Mirror Mirror is a modern, live-action film that retells the classic Brothers Grimm fairytale of a young girl named Snow White who has been held in exile by her stepmother, the evil Queen (Julia Roberts). As the story unfolds, Snow White learns of the Queen’s evil ways…how she has taken every cent from the people in her kingdom who are now destitute, struggling to survive. Together with a band of outcast dwarfs, Snow White courageously fights to reclaim her rightful status in the kingdom…and falls in love along the way.
Snow White’s character is very different from the Disney fairytale princess little girls have grown up with. She is courageous and determined…a fighter. She doesn’t “need” the prince to help save her. Rather, “she found it within herself…to do what the prince could do” (Collins). Collins has always been an advocate of self confidence and self esteem in young girls. Throughout the film, Snow White is unaware of her beauty, yet comes to love and accept herself and “that is the core of self-confidence and esteem building for young girls (Collins).” It is those modern themes that resonate throughout the film and compelled Collins to be involved.
Lily Collins is as passionate about advocating for young women as she is about her career. The young actress has an incredible insight and talent. See her as Snow White in Mirror Mirror. Be sure to keep up with the latest on the film’s Facebook and Pinterest pages.
No compensation was received for this post. I was invited to the press weekend courtesy of Relativity Media.
Photos: Relativity Media
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Awesome review and what a great story about drive and determination.
That is so wonderful that she is an advocate for young women. She is definitely someone they should look up to because of her determination and strength.
I am so excited to see this movie – It looks great, and reading this makes me want to see it even more 🙂
I have seen the previews for this. It looks great.
Sounds like a fun movie. Can’t wait!!
She sounds like a great young woman.
I hope our young girls choose Lily as a role model. She epitomizes what it takes to grow into a sucessful woman at most everything. She seems like an absolute darling.
Now I must watch this with my children! Beautiful review and reminder to have passion!
My daughter can’t wait for this movie! She loves Snow White and it’s good to know that Collins is such a great role model!
I love this post. It is awesome you were able to see the passion and share it in such a remarkable post!