Lily Collins Opens Up On Working With Her Director Husband, Charlie McDowell, On 'Windfall'

The "Emily In Paris" actress, Lily Collins, has revealed that she didn't get any special treatment from her husband while they shot their latest movie, "Windfall."

Collins joined forces with her director husband, Charlie McDowell, to make their latest Netflix movie but was treated the same way as any other cast member.

"It's hilarious because I kept forgetting that we were together because he treats everyone equally. There were very few of us in the cast, so we all had a very intimate, collaborative experience that sometimes I would forget that it was my Charlie as opposed to Charlie-my-director. That's what you want in a life partner, and it is what you want as an actor in your director." she told The Hollywood Reporter. "The way in which he communicates was so easy that it felt as easy as it normally is. But I always saw him as my director. Obviously, going home to talk about the day is different."

Read on to find out what she had to say of the experience.

In a recent interview with "CBS Mornings," the actress opened up about working with her director husband, and he always brought out the best in her.

https://twitter.com/CBSMornings/status/1506258302791041027?s=20&t=T1_XadRbg5l0mmHbwSwk4Q

"I honestly attest so much of it to Charlie," began the "Emily in Paris" star. "There's something very specific that he saw in all of us, we all play against type. But for me specifically that he saw in me, and he got out of me that I haven't been able to do. [He] creatively believes in me sometimes, maybe more than I believe in myself."

The actress had previously shared the movie she worked on with her partner on Instagram. She also made it a point to say that partnering with her husband was a fun part of the production process.

"One of my favorite parts of shooting this film was getting to work with my director and love @charliemcdowell," she wrote."Thank you for being my partner in all things and for trusting me with this character (and holding the camera!) I'm so proud to have been part of this incredibly special project and can't wait for you guys to see it," she concluded.

In an interview with ET, the couple opened up about working together on the movie.

"The only time it was a little distracting, is when Jesse Plemons, who's a very good friend of mine, is picking her up and kissing her. I'm like, wait a minute. There's something off about this. My good friend is kissing my then-fiancée," Charlie McDowell said of directing the actress.

Apart from this, the pair had the best time filming.

"We had such a good time making this film. The collaboration between her and I was really special. Jason Segel, I've known for 18 years and is a dear friend," McDowell said. "It was like being at camp with all of these actors. It was really fun."

"It was so easy, and it was such a collaborative team effort," Collins added. "And it was really fun. It actually was really fun. Then, at the end of the day, we got to pick apart the day and go, how did you feel, how does it feel? It was great. It was a really great time."

The movie focuses on a couple who arrive at a vacation home for a getaway only to discover that there's a man inside who's attempting to rob the place. As shared by McDowell, the movie was a product of the pandemic and Zoom calls. It was also shot in a single, central location.

 "This whole thing came out of the pandemic. We were two months into the pandemic, and it was a question of, 'What do we do? How do we stay creative? How do we keep telling stories?'" he explained. "I got on Zoom with three of my friends, and we started to write the story for this film. It was basically, 'How do you contain something to one location, one space? And shoot it safely.' That's how we made it."

However, Collins was privy to these calls and instantly became interested in the movie.

" I was privy to the creation of it. Charlie, Andrew Kevin Walker, Jason Segel and Justin Lader, they were all creating it from all of our different houses during the pandemic," Collins disclosed. "I would just hear them on Zoom talking about characters and the story, and then I read the scripts. It was never a given that I would be involved. I just fell in love with the character of the wife."

Although McDowell wasn't sure that his wife would be involved, he created the wife's character with his wife in mind.

"I don't know if I've completely told her this, but we always wrote the part for her. We always knew it was going to be her. Whenever we talked on the Zooms, sometimes the writers would go like, 'Yeah, and then when Lily does this,' and they'd say her name," McDowell revealed. "I think the whole time, I was like, OK, I know it's her. But I didn't want to quite yet balance the home life and the work life. At a certain point, it was very apparent that it was like, 'OK, I really want you to play this part.'"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaPdGDBcY5A