Lily James says fame doesn’t make people "happy".
The 30-year-old actress has achieved fame herself through her roles in shows such as ‘Downton Abbey’, and movies including ‘Cinderella’ and ‘Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again’, but says being a star hasn’t brought her joy, and thinks people need to change their "bizarre" relationship with "celebrity and fame".
Speaking to Australia’s Sunday Telegraph newspaper, she said: "If you are trying to fill something in your life with fame, then it’s not going to make you happy. I don’t think I have really changed. Life has changed, other people’s reactions to you change and that can be really difficult. People’s relationship with celebrity and fame is bizarre, it can be quite dangerous. And social media feeds into that."
Lily previously admitted she once found her fame so tough to handle that she ended up on a backpacking trip in Southeast Asia, where she could forget her career success and "regain [her] sanity" out of the public eye.
Speaking in 2015, she said: "I ended up backpacking with a friend in Southeast Asia, staying in huts that were £2 a night, to regain my sanity."
But despite not being a fan of fame, the ‘Yesterday’ star is pleased with the way the film industry is changing, especially for women since the rise of the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements.
She said: "Something has shifted. Now I feel like a natural step on from this is making sure that there are more women in power.
"I want to work with more women, female directors and directors of photography, to be surrounded more equally by women and men."
And the ‘Darkest Hour’ actress also loves the "extremes" that come with her career.
Explaining what draws her to acting, she said: "I think that’s why I like it, I like that emotional journey. The ability to fall into something and go to the extremes."
Lily James: Fame doesn’t make you happy
