In Good One, Lily Collias stars as Sam, a teenage girl who embarks on a pivotal camping trip with her father and his friend in upstate New York. The coming-of-age drama, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was an official selection at the Cannes Film Festival, marks the feature debut of writer-director India Donaldson. Collias grew up in Santa Monica but didn’t pursue acting until she moved to New York City. There, she briefly studied drama at the New School before landing her breakout role in Good One. “College was never the plan for me,” she says. “I just knew I needed something to convince my dad to let me go to New York.” Since the film’s release, her life has been upended, with offers rolling in and a promising future ahead—proving that, sometimes, taking risks truly pays off.
In Good One, you play a knowing and empathetic daughter who joins her father and his friend on a hiking trip. Your performance received “a star is born” reviews.
After Good One came out, my life pretty much flipped. It was incredible. I grew up in Los Angeles, but I didn’t really click with the people in the theater department in high school. The reason I moved to New York after graduation was to try acting. A friend from school asked me to audition for Good One. They had been trying to fill the role of Sam for two months, but they liked my tape.
How did you prepare for the role?
I didn’t know what to expect, so I read the script over and over and had the whole thing memorized by the time I got to set.
When you were growing up, did you watch a lot of films?
My mom’s from France, and she has cool French taste. I lived right near the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica, so I got pretty lucky. I got to see films in 35mm and 70mm for the first time.
What film makes you cry?
The Tree of Life, by Terrence Malick. I saw it at the Aero. At the time, I was with someone that I was very much in love with. I remember walking out of the theater, and it had just rained. You could smell the pavement. We got Thai food, and I felt so fulfilled.
Where was your first kiss?
It was at a movie—something really loud. Maybe a Jurassic Park film. I think we had smoked a really weird joint before, and I was kind of like, I don’t know where I am. It was sloppy. Weird. And I was like, Ooh, okay, I guess this is how it goes.
Do you have any secret skills?
I can ride a motorcycle. My dad used to bike and he would also race cars, so I grew up around that kind of energy. I’m also a good driver. My brother had this GTI that I would sneakily take out and go with friends on Mulholland or up Topanga. I’m very lucky that my driving skills got me through that.
Collias wears a Celine by Hedi Slimane vest, shirt, and skirt; Jennifer Fisher earrings.
Style Director: Allia Alliata di Montereale. Hair for portfolio by Paul Hanlon at Dawes & Co.; makeup for portfolio by Sam Visser at Art Partner; manicures for portfolio by Michelle Saunders James. Set design by Gerard Santos at Lalaland.
Creative producer to Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott: Leonard Cuinet-Petit at January Productions; producer to Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott: Kevin Isabelle; produced by AP Studio, Inc.; executive producer: Alexis Piqueras; producer: Anneliese Kristedja; associate producer: Kimmy D’Ancona; production manager: Hayley Stephon; production coordinators: Miranda Dos Santos, Susan Lucas; photography assistants: John Neate, Jed Barnes, Chris Whitaker, Kendall Peck; digital technician: Niccolo Pacilli; digital assistant: Cassian Gray; postproduction by Dreamer Post Production; fashion assistants: Tyler VanVranken, Molly Cody, Celeste Roh, Raea Palmieri, Tatiana Isshac, Haleigh Nickerson, Lauren Marron, Savannah Steilner, Sage McKee, Frankie Benkovic, Kaley Azambuja, Tatum Sanchez; production assistants: Gigi Rosenfield, Lily Cordingley, Eli Cash, Lex Vaughn, Anderson Renno, Kat Saravia, Kyle Dekker, Wyatt Noble, Brandon Martin, Moose Krupski, Josh Muwwakkil, Bradley Gonsalves, Drew Carter, Thomas Lynch, Alex Kofman, Jackson Schrader, Anatalia Zavaleta, Joseph Wride, Matt Flynn; first AD: Steve Kemp; location manager: Kyle Hollinger; hair assistants: Kim Garduno, Ben Gregory, Marco Iafrate, Hyacinthia Faustino, Chris Foster; makeup assistants: Shimu Takanori, Laura Dudley, Brian Dean, Beatrice Sandoval; manicure assistant: Cheyenne Vander Schuur; set design assistants: Seth Powsner, Denver Stoddard, Ryan Johnson; tailors: Irina Tshartaryan, Ripsime Vartanyan, Jackie Martirosyan at Susie’s Custom Designs, Inc.
