Debra Granik put stars like Jennifer Lawrence and Thomasin McKenzie on the map with her filmsWinters BoneandLeave No Tracerespectively.
Donaldsons debut feature suggests a bright career for both director and lead.
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DEADLINE: How did you find acting?
Lily Collias photographed exclusively for Deadline on the Croisette in Cannes, 2024.Joe Utichi/Deadline
LILY COLLIAS: I started really young.
My parents werent in the industry or anything like that, but I always took an interest in theater.
Whats nice about LA is you might do so much at a young age.
Joe Utichi/Deadline
But eventually I started going out on auditions.
DEADLINE: Was film a big part of your upbringing?
COLLIAS: Theres this theater in LA called the Aero, thats under the American Cinematheque.
Thats what really changed it all for me.
I was always fascinated by acting, but after that, film fascinated me too.
Its always just all fascinated me so much and I love the world around it.
DEADLINE: How didGood Onecome to you?
COLLIAS: Im actually very close friends with India Donaldsons sister, Octavia.
We just met up for coffee and talked about art for so long, and it was so great.
DEADLINE: What scenes did you do?
COLLIAS: She gave me two sides.
I dont think shed given me the full script at that point.
Its fun to work around that and start to understand the director and what theyre drawn towards.
DEADLINE: A lot of the story of this character is told in looks and glances.
There are dialogue scenes that express a lot too, but so much of it is in the silences.
What did you make of the whole script once youd received it?
COLLIAS: Indias so smart; much cleverer than Ill ever be.
When I thought about Sam and all those scenes, Sam doesnt have a lot of dialogue.
It was a fun way for me to find that other level of her.
Theres so much about her thats just not on the page.
DEADLINE: Communicating subtext is a key part of acting training.
Did it take you back to those classes?
There were certain classes I remember just laying on the floor for two hours and meditating.
DEADLINE: Were some moments harder than others?
COLLIAS: There are always challenges.
So, there were very few moments where I felt unsure, and India could clock things so fast.
She would be like, Lets talk about this for a moment.
Lets see where Sams at.
She was always grounding me and helping me come back.
COLLIAS: It felt like a passion project amongst everyone involved.
It was so intimate and small, and we just created a little family.
So no, I didnt expect any of this.
It has been a blessing and Im so grateful; it has been an amazing journey.
DEADLINE: What has been your experience of watching the movie with audiences?
COLLIAS: The first time I watched it, I watched it alone, and I was really nervous.
The screening at Sundance was incredible.
I was sat next to my dad, which by itself was a bit of a surreal moment.
But the audience was wonderful, and it elevated the experience of watching it entirely.
