Lily Collins "felt very strongly" about appearing in ‘To the Bone’.
The 28-year-old actress has admitted she was very keen to star in the new drama movie, which tells the story of the 20-year-old anorexic girl, because of her own experiences of an eating disorder.
Lily, who suffered from a disorder during her teenage years, said: "A lot of people feel it’s too taboo to talk about, yet we all know someone who’s either gone through it or knows someone who has, so it’s way more relatable than people assume."
The actress explained that while films rarely tackle the issue of eating disorders, she was excited by the prospect of appearing in the Marti Noxon-directed movie.
Lily told the Irish Examiner newspaper: "There’s never been a feature film about eating disorders before and it was a very challenging role. But I felt very strongly about doing it."
The confession comes shortly after Lily revealed she never sought medical help for her eating disorder.
The actress opened up about her struggles in her memoir ‘Unfiltered’, but admitted the first time she was able to share her story with others was while researching her role in ‘To the Bone’.
Lily shared: "I got to go to an anonymous group with you and share my story and get told the facts for the first time.
"When I went through my eating disorder, I never sought medical assistance. I created myths in my head about how I should get through things, so the idea that I could surround myself with truth and feel comfortable enough to speak mine allowed me to breathe.
"There’s a scene in the film when we’re in group therapy talking about the euphoria we experience – I’d never heard that weird enjoyment we feel from being in the disorder worded that way before – and in that moment, you caught Lily understanding it as opposed to just Ellen, my character."
Lily Collins ‘felt strongly’ about making To the Bone
