
“Warren Beatty wants you to call him at home.”
This was the message Lily Collins received out of the blue three years ago, just hours before she was about to embark on a European press tour. She had never met the Hollywood legend before, but she called him anyway. He told her he was directing a new movie and felt like he’d met on it with every other actress in town, save for her.
So in the midst of packing, Collins invited Beatty over. He told her his next film was set in the 1950s and involved Howard Hughes, but didn’t reveal anything else about the project. Mostly, he just wanted to get a sense of Collins’ personality. Then he left, and she flew off to promote “The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones.”
It was supposed to be a pivotal moment in Collins’ career. She was starring in a young adult adaptation that was meant to turn into the next “Hunger Games” franchise. But when the action flick didn’t perform at the box office, its sequel was scrapped. Discouraged, Collins returned to Los Angeles.
