Movies are, by definition, trendy. Filmmakers want to make movies that folks want to see—movies that’ll grab their attention and, hopefully, bring them back for more. They’ll tap into whatever they think we’re interested, be it good (yay, superheroes!), bad (let’s hope profane stuffed animals don’t become a trend) or even a little mystifying (who knew archery would be the “thing” for 2012?).
And sometimes these trends can transcend the label: They can serve as reflections for the world as it is, or as harbringers for things to come.
One of the most welcome “trends” to come around this year—at least as far as I’m concerned—is the wealth of strong, young, female protagonists we’ve seen. From The Hunger Games to Brave, we’ve seen strong-willed teens willing to fight for themselves and others. And while the movies may not be perfect and our young heroines may make a few missteps along the way, the trend to take these characters beyond the standard fairy-tale-princess trope is (in my mind) a welcome one indeed. This year, we’ve seen that princesses can be more than beautiful. They can be brave and heroic and honorable, too—and without losing their inherent femininity.
Earlier this year, I had a chance to talk with Lily Collins, who plays one such princess in Mirror Mirror (recently released on video) for the Official Plugged In Podcast. In the film, Collins plays Snow White, whom most of us remember from Disney’s animated classic as an almost childlike princess who innocently warbles with hand-drawn birds. In Mirror Mirror, Collins still sings with the occasional bird, particularly at the beginning. But as the movie rolls on, her ethics and actions speak far more loudly. Here’s what she had to say:
Paul Asay: When we’re talking about Snow White, everybody’s so familiar with the Disney version where she’s a meek and mild-mannered character. She’s kind of passive. You play a very different version of Snow White, don’t you?
Lily Collins: I do. I wanted her to be [reminiscent] of that original version at the beginning, almost devoid of personality and unaware of evil versus good, because she’s not been exposed to evil, really, that she’s aware of. Almost a caricature of an animated princess, but not quite.
PI: Even playing with the bird, I noticed.
LC: Even with the bird. It’s like, y’know, kinda paying homage to that classic version, but then taking a step back from being that damsel in distress and really making her a fighter, emotionally and physically, and turning her into this girl who fights for what she believes in, finds beauty and confidence within herself, and ends up truly saving the prince as much as the prince saves her. That’s definitely not there in the original. It was really fun to play her, because while she’s holding a sword, fighting with the prince, she’s also wearing ball gowns and corsets. So she maintains that femininity, but at the same time has that inner feist and action quality to her.
PI: What sorts of lessons do you hope people going to this movie will take away, particularly when you’re talking about girls?
LC: Well, never once does Snow White herself look in a mirror, so she’s very unaware of her beauty and what it’s doing to people. … She really finds the beauty within herself, and it makes her confident and willing to accept spontaneity and help from others and really go after what she believes in. Young girls can do just as much as the boys. At the same time, it does take a strong man to accept help from a woman. It wasn’t supposed to be an in-your-face feminist movie. It just had an undertone of a modern girl who doesn’t just sit back and let life pass her by. She takes her destiny into her own hands.
PI: Why do think there’s such a focus in our society on beauty? Does it come from the media? Does it come from within ourselves?
LC: The beauty industry is a multibillion-dollar [business]. Every year it grosses so much money and there’s so much advertising out there, and it’s so in your face everywhere you go. It’s hard to ignore those things. Subconsciously, certain things get in your mind [concerning] physical aspects of beauty. It definitely takes making sure you surround yourself with people who love you for you—friends and family—to kind of quiet those thoughts.
PI: In today’s culture, do you believe fairy tales are still important?
LC: I do, especially with the world today, issues going on and what families are faced with every day. It’s nice to disappear for a little while into this world where adults can kind of recreate those kid-like qualities in themselves as well as having kids revel in their imagination. Being able to share that as a family is really important, because there are less and less things families really enjoy doing together. Fairy tales are so well-known, universal and timeless that families can bond over them and disappear from issues for a little while until those bonds become more secure and families can take them back into reality.
You can hear more of what Collins has to say by going to our podcast homepage and clicking on episode No. 144.
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