Lynn Collins Interview

LYNN COLLINS

While she may not yet be a household name, it seems only a matter of time before the up-and-coming American actress Lynn Collins is recognised as one of the leading actresses of her generation. Currently starring as Portia opposite Al Pacino's Shylock in The Merchant of Venice, Collins is in London to promote her new film. She is charming, extraordinarily beautiful, and judging from her performance in the film, has the talent to go a very long way.

Despite brandishing a cut glass English accent in the film ('I guess I was just always a good mimic, and there were plenty of Brits on the set to help me'), Collins was born in Texas, but moved to Singapore at the age of four. Upon her return to the United States there was only one career path for her, and after studying at the prestigious Julliard drama school in New York, she was soon cast as Ophelia opposite Liev Schreiber in Hamlet, followed by a turn as Juliet. It was during these roles that she was spotted by The Merchant's director Michael Radford, but it wasn't all plain sailing to get the role. 'Michael really fought for me', she says, 'and so did Al. The financiers wanted someone else, a bigger name, but the two of them persuaded them to let me do it.'

As Portia, Collins has the infamous trial scene to contend with, and had understandable nerves when she realised she would be acting opposite both Pacino and Jeremy Irons. 'Michael took me to one side before we shot it', she confesses, 'and told me that I needed to assume power over them, so I did'. She has nothing but praise for Pacino, whom she describes as 'incredibly earthy. He has so much reverence for his craft, was incredibly supportive of me, and is a really generous actor. In some ways, he's ego-less, but of course if you're Al Pacino I don't really know if you need an ego.'

Collins divides her time between New York and London, and looks set to become a more familiar name in the next couple of years. Her next projects include the new Merchant Ivory film, to be shot in India, and her English accent will be on parade again after that when she takes the lead role in a biopic of Charlotte Bronte.