Lily Collins Reveals How She Lost British Accent After Move To Los Angeles

Lily Collins wishes she still had an English accent.

The 31-year-old actress was born in Surrey but moved to Los Angeles with her mother Jill Tavelman when she was five years old after her parents split, and she recalled deliberately altering the way she spoke in order to fit in with her classmates after they mocked her pronunciation.

Speaking to HELLO! magazine, Lily — whose father is musician Phil Collins — said: “I was the new girl with a very sweet, strong but specific British accent. I was trying to say the names of my classmates but I just pronounced vowels in a very different way and so I got made fun of.

"I quickly realised I wanted to fit in. Now, years later, you're going, 'Oh God, I wish I still had that accent.' "

Lily can currently be seen portraying the titular marketing executive in Netflix series Emily in Paris and she admitted filming the show in the French capital was a dream come true.

She said: "I'd never been able to spend more than maybe a week in Paris before, so to live and breathe there was amazing.

"We shot in locations that I grew up reading about in history books, visiting as a tourist, or just dreaming about.

"To look at the Louvre from our set with our trailers right next to it or to film at the Paris Opera House was such a surreal moment."

The brunette beauty — who recently got engaged to boyfriend Charlie McDowell — hopes the show can offer some warmth and happiness to people at such a time of uncertainty amidst the coronavirus pandemic.

She added: “We didn't know the show was going to come out at a time like this but I'm glad it has. We could all use a little more smiles and laughter.

“To be part of a project that does that and feels optimistic is amazing.” — BANG