2007–2012: Early work and breakthrough Collins began acting at the age of two in the BBC series
Growing Pains. She appeared in two episodes of the teen drama series
90210, including the first season's finale. Later that year, she had her breakthrough starring in the film
The Blind Side as Collins Tuohy, the daughter of Leigh Anne Tuohy (
Sandra Bullock's character). It was a commercial success, grossing over $250 million and emerging as the highest-grossing sports drama of all time. In 2011, she played the warrior priest's daughter Lucy in the thriller
Priest, opposite
Paul Bettany. Although it was a critical and commercial failure, she was praised for her performance, and
MTV Networks' NextMovie.com named her one of the Breakout Stars to Watch for in 2011. She co-starred in the 2011 action film
Abduction with
Taylor Lautner. In 2012, Collins played
Snow White in
Mirror Mirror, an adaptation of the fairytale
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Robbie Collin from the British newspaper
The Daily Telegraph wrote of her: "She has an adorable, sensational, almost perfect face for cinema; think
Audrey Hepburn with the eyebrows of
Liam Gallagher. Her smile is the platonic ideal of cheeky." Collins made her singing debut in the film, performing an English rewritten cover of "I Believe (in Love)". Also in 2012, she portrayed Samantha in
Stuck in Love.
2013–2016: Rise to prominence and critical recognition Collins was initially cast as the lead in the 2013 remake of
Evil Dead, but dropped out due to a scheduling issue. She played the title role as an earth-visiting alien in
M83's music video "Claudia Lewis", released in August 2013. She starred as Clary Fray in
The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, a film adaptation of the first book in
The Mortal Instruments novels, written by
Cassandra Clare. The role earned her a
Teen Choice Award nomination in 2014. In 2014, Collins starred as Rosie Dunne in the film adaptation of
Love, Rosie,
Love, Rosie was negatively received, although her performance was praised, with Donald Clarke of
The Irish Times describing her as "perfectly charming." Collins had a leading role as aspiring actress Marla Mabrey in the romantic comedy-drama ''
Rules Don't Apply (2016). When the film was released in November, it received mixed reviews and grossed $3.9 million against its $25 million budget. Despite this, for her role as Marla Mabrey, Collins received her first Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical at the 74th Golden Globe Awards. In 2016, Collins was part of a pilot produced for The Last Tycoon'', loosely based on
F. Scott Fitzgerald's last book
The Last Tycoon. Amazon picked up the pilot to series on 27 July 2016 but later cancelled their plans for a second season in September in 2017. In March 2016, Collins joined the
anorexia drama film
To the Bone in the lead role, written and directed by
Marti Noxon. The film follows Ellen, a 20-year-old woman suffering from
anorexia nervosa. It premiered in competition at the
Sundance Film Festival on 22 January 2017, as a contender in the U.S. Dramatic Competition. It was released worldwide on
Netflix on 14 July 2017. When the film was released on Netflix there was some controversy about whether the film would be triggering for those with eating disorders. This controversy was also influenced by another Netflix original show
13 Reasons Why after it was accused of glamorising suicide. Despite the taboo topic of the film, Collins's depiction of Ellen was described as "exemplary work from Lily Collins in the central role."
Justin Chang of
Los Angeles Times wrote that "In a different film, Ellen's sharp tongue might have made her an insufferable fount of wisecracking negativity, but Collins' performance is subtler than that, and the script gives her ample opportunity to reveal the character's more complicated, vulnerable edges."
2017–present: Established actress Collins was cast in the
Netflix drama film
Okja directed by
Bong Joon-ho. The film competed for the ''
Palme d'Or in the main competition section at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival and received a four-minute standing ovation after its premiere. It was released on Netflix on 28 June 2017. In 2017, it was revealed that Les Misérables'' would be adapted by Andrew Davies into a BBC mini series directed by Tom Shankland. Collins starred as
Fantine, a young woman in Paris who is abandoned by her wealthy lover, forcing her to look after their child,
Cosette, on her own. Filming began in February 2018 in Belgium and Northern France. Critics praised Collins's performance as Fantine; Alexandra Pollard of
The Independent wrote that "[Collins] plays the tragic Fantine with steeliness and grace," in a "magnificent" performance, while another critic stated that "Lily Collins does not sing her anguished soul out when she is abandoned by her lover. So much so, she impressed me from the get-go with her emotionally rich performance." In 2019, Collins co-starred with
Zac Efron in the drama
Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, directed by
Joe Berlinger. She plays Elizabeth Kendall,
Ted Bundy's long-time girlfriend, who struggles to accept that her boyfriend is a
serial killer. The film had its world premiere at the
Sundance Film Festival on 26 January. Also that year, Collins co-starred as
Edith Tolkien, the wife of author
J. R. R. Tolkien, in the biographical film
Tolkien. Filming began in October 2017 and wrapped in December, and
Tolkien was released on 10 May 2019. In 2020, Collins starred in the thriller
Inheritance directed by Vaughn Stein, and in
Emily in Paris, a
Netflix television series about a young American working in Paris. For
Emily in Paris, Collins received a second Golden Globe Award nomination for
Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy. Collins is scheduled to star in
The Cradle directed by Hope Dickinson Leach, and in
Gilded Rage, directed by
Charlie McDowell. In June 2021, it was announced that Collins would produce a film to be directed by
Lena Dunham about the children's toy
Polly Pocket. Collins will be playing the title role. In February 2026, it was announced that Collins would play
Audrey Hepburn in a film about the making of the 1961 film ''
Breakfast at Tiffany's''. In 2026, Collins was appointed as the first global brand ambassador for fashion platform Zalando, headlining their Spring/Summer 2026 campaign. == Public image ==