It’s not easy to make it in Hollywood, but imagine being the daughter of legendary rockstar Phil Collins. For Lily Collins, who has captured fans’ hearts in Netflix’s hit series Emily in Paris, she had to hear about her father’s accomplishments, which wasn’t always roses and butterflies.
Phil, 70, married Jill Tavelman in 1984, but they split in 1996 when the musical artist was touring around the world with his band. There were also rumors swirling that Phil had an affair with Lavinia Lang in 1992.
When the 32-year-old was growing up, she put the pieces together that her father was unique. While walking around Disneyland, she saw someone wearing a T-shirt with Phil’s face, and “I didn’t quite get it,” she recalled. “Then he saw my dad and asked for a photo — and it was a really weird moment. I was thinking, ‘Why does he want a picture of my dad, and why is my dad on his T-shirt?’ Slowly but surely, I started to understand.”
But it was tough for the Mirror Mirror alum to become close with her father, who has four other children.
“Because my dad was often gone, I never wanted to do anything that would make him stay away even longer,” she wrote in her 2017 book, Lily Collins Unfiltered: No Shame, No Regrets, Just Me. “I became extra careful about what I said and how I said it, afraid he’d think I was angry or didn’t love him. And the truth is, I was angry. I missed him and wanted him there. I’ve realized that many of my deepest insecurities stem from these issues with my dad. It’s taken me over a decade to resolve some of them (others I’m still resolving) and to finally build up the courage to speak my mind to him.”
“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,” she shared in a letter to her father, which was in the tome. “I’m learning how to accept your actions and vocalize how they made me feel … I now understand that my frustrations surrounding our communication are not about changing you, but accepting you as you are. I forgive you for not always being there when I needed and for not being the dad I expected. 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.”
After some ups and downs, it seems like the two are in a great place.
“Happy 70th birthday dad!! Words aren’t enough to express how much love and pride I have for you,” she captioned a cute photo in January 2021. “After 7 decades on this planet, countless trips around the world, 5 kids, endless memories and a lifetime of stories… you’re not done yet! You mean so much to me and I can’t wait for all the adventures and years to come. I love you so much, to the moon and back again…”
The actress confessed that even though it was hard to break out of her father’s shadow, she is thankful for his support over the years.
“I’m so incredibly proud of what my surname represents, for what my dad’s done. And I’m an incredibly proud daughter, but I am going on my own path, my own journey. I didn’t want to change my last name,” she declared. “And so I am really proud of where I am today because I know how hard I work.”
