Lily Collins has always been a ‘big believer’ in THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS

Lily Collins recently spoke with The Hollywood Reporter to promote her upcoming film The English Teacher. Among the topics discussed was The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, where Lily addressed the ups and downs throughout the process of finally bringing City of Bones to the big screen.

THR: You’ve been attached to Mortal Instruments through a lot of ups and downs. Was that ever disheartening to you — and as an extension of that — how rewarding was it when you finally got to film it?

LC:  I’m a big believer that everything happens for a reason. I knew that by it going through this process, it was gonna come out at the end of it with the appropriate team, the right people involved. I had been a firm believer in the story. I was a fan before I was cast, so it’s something that I’ve been passionate about before really being involved in. I didn’t wanna pass up the opportunity to be able to play this heroine that I’ve admired and I just knew that I believed in the studio that has it, Constantin. I believe in the producers at Constantin and I know that they have a really good taste level when it comes to the creative side. I knew that they wouldn’t put it somewhere where it didn’t belong, so I just didn’t know with timing. I just prayed that it wouldn’t come to the time when they were ready to shoot and I was doing something else ‘cause I thought, “I can’t have it get to this point and then not be able to do it.” I was very fortunate of the timing of everything. I couldn’t be prouder of the project. I’m so excited for people to see it. I really think Harald [Zwart] did an amazing job of taking what could’ve been a CGI-heavy, action-packed reliant film and really made it about heart and character and emotion. Special effects are just the icing on top. I think, as well as hopefully pleasing the fans of the series, we’re going to invite new people in and make them obsessed with the story as well.

THR: Are you attached to star in the rest of the adaptations beyond City of Bones?

LC: Yes. I mean, it just depends on — you kind of have to see how the first one goes. As with any potential franchise, you just leave it up to kind of the fans and to see what happens with the first one and you hope. I signed on because I love Clary and I would want to play her for as long as I can. At the end of the day, you have to kind of step back and remove yourself and go, “OK, we’ll we just have to see what happens” and you go along with the flow. I think all of us would really love to play characters for as long as the fans will have it.

Head over to THR to read the full interview, including what attracted her to the role of Halle in The English Teacher and her next movie Love, Rosie, which is currently filming in Toronto.