Lily Collins may have millions of fans worldwide thanks toEmily in Paris, but her father-in-law isn’t one of them.
Actor Malcolm McDowell, aka Collins’ “FIL”, shared his candid thoughts on the Netflix hit in an interview with PEOPLEshared on Saturday, August 23. “To be honest with you, it’s not my kind of thing, and Lily knows that,” he admitted to the outlet.
Still, McDowell, 82, was quick to clarify that his feelings toward the series have no bearing on his admiration for Collins herself. “But I’m the biggest fan of my daughter-in-law. I think she’s absolutely one of the great actresses,” he added.
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The A Clockwork Orange star praised her screen presence as something rare and magnetic. “As far as I’m concerned, when she’s on the screen, there’s nobody else on it, because she’s not only a good actress, but she has a beautiful quality. I suppose, it’s a sort of charisma,” he explained. McDowell also explained how the city owes Collins “a great debt” after all the tourism she’s brought in. “”I’m sure [it] has gone up so much from people in the United States watching and going, ‘Yeah, let’s go to Paris,'” he noted.
Collins, 36, has been married to McDowell’s son, director Charlie McDowell, since 2021. Earlier this year, the couple welcomed their first child, daughter Tove, via surrogate. Charlie’s mother is actress Mary Steenburgen, making little Tove part of a large Hollywood family filled with talent.
As for the hit Netflix series, tragedy recently struck on set. Assistant director Diego Borella died on the set of Emily in Paris in Venice on August 22 after reportedly collapsing from a heart attack. Filming paused temporarily before resuming days later, according to reports.
The series is currently filming its fifth season which is set to premiere on Netflix on December 18.