At only 24 years old, London born and raised Lily Newmark has already caught the attention of both the fashion and film industries. We met her in a lovely spot in England’s capital, where the young actress, and face of Chanel Chance, is enjoying her rising acting career, but…who is Lily? Two years out of Acting school and Lily has already received a BIFA Nomination as Most Promising Newcomer for her role in “Pin Cushion,” a tough, beautiful coming of age drama directed by Deborah Haywood (release dates: July 13th in UK and July 20th in the US). In this story, which touched on Lily’s own experiences growing up, she plays Iona, a fragile and sweet teenager struggling through life, bullying and a complicated relationship with her mother (played by Joanna Scanlan).
This August Lily will also be seen in Judd Apatow’s “Juliet, Naked,” with Ethan Hawke, Chris O’Dowd and Rose Byrne, based on Nick Hornby’s best-selling novel. She has also just completed filming a lead role in Rudolph Herzog’s new feature “How to Sell a War” with Katherine Parkinson as well as a supporting role in the new BBC adaptation “Les Misérables,” starring David Oyelowo, Dominic West and Lily Collins. She is currently filming an unannounced project.
We were extremely curious and excited to meet such a promising talent, and we weren’t surprised to find a lovely young lady behind the actress. Lily’s hard work on set, as well as the way she shapes the characters she plays is clear not just from the nominations she has received, but also from the incredible power of her acting. In “Pin Cushion,” her portrayal of Iona is so deep that it’s almost upsetting, so loud that you can’t but feel what the character feels and connect with her, her situation, her mother and the love they have for each other.
According to the BBC (and we agree), Lily Newmark is one of the rising stars we should be keeping an eye on and we are positive that the stories she’ll tell, both in front of and behind the camera, will be remarkable and beautiful, and make us cry and smile and feel as much emotion as “Pin Cushion” did.
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2017 and 2018 have been very good years for you, so first of all congrats on that and the BIFA nomination! How are you managing through all these projects?
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I feel so lucky to have been involved in so many great projects and it’s been a really exciting year and a half for me. Having graduated two years ago from drama school, it’s a massive privilege. I’ve been very happy.
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Also, the BBC included you among the most promising rising stars…
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Yeah, that was nice! I wasn’t expecting that; I didn’t know where it came from. But I was very humbled by that because I’ve been working very hard but you don’t really expect anyone to praise you for it. You just expect to enjoy your work and keep it quiet, but it’s nice to be recognised, I guess.
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Are you feeling any pressure?
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I don’t feel any pressure, but I’m a bit sensitive about creating too much buzz. Because I want to have things to talk about, I don’t want to be an actor that people know but they don’t really know the projects they’ve been in. I’d rather people talk about the project.
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How would you describe British Cinema?
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I’d say it’s probably the most exciting because for me British Cinema tends to come from a very truthful place. There’s a lot of amazing British Drama that’s based on peoples’ personal experiences, such as “Pin Cushion,” where it was almost autobiographical for Deb, the writer and director. I find it very exciting to work on something that comes from a very truthful place and I think that tends to come from writers who write truthfully.
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In Hollywood, there’s a lot of talking about women’s empowerment recently. What’s your take?
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I think it’s definitely an empowering time to be a woman in the industry because we’re not taking “no” for an answer. And while that was probably done quietly beforehand, now we’re speaking out and helping each other. And that’s really important because that’s when people really listen to you I think. If you’re always polite that’s when you get trampled over. And I don’t think women want to be victims anymore in an industry that seems to be male-centric.
“I think it’s definitely the time to be a woman in the industry
because we’re not taking “no” for an answer, and we’re helping each other out.”
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Let’s talk “Pin Cushion.” It’s a very tough movie about parenthood and bullying: how did you shape Iona, your character?
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Well, the reason I wanted to be part of the project so badly is because I relate so much with Iona – she’s sort of a representative of what it is to be an outcast of this society and we’ve been through very similar experiences so I didn’t find it too difficult to shape her, because she very much reflected the younger version of myself, and still a part of myself. And that was a part of myself I wish it was a little bit more difficult to portray because it was upsetting to go through the same experiences all over again. But also I was happy to embody her and give her a voice.
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What would you say to Iona, if you could?
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Stand up for yourself.
Because I think she gets pushed over because she’s a people pleaser, she doesn’t want to upset anyone. I think you don’t have to be afraid to upset people, in order to speak up for yourself.
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Was it also because of her relationship with her mother?
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Exactly. I mean, that’s where it becomes tricky because she has to say “no” to her mum in order to free herself, otherwise she will be trapped forever.
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How did you work on the mother-daughter relationship?
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Well, me and Joanna [Scanlan], who plays Lyn, my mother in the film, we just talked a lot about both sides, positive and negative, in a mother-daughter relationship, especially as a teenager. Of course, I don’t have a daughter and she doesn’t have a daughter, so neither of us spoke from that perspective, but we both are daughters and have mothers. My relationship with my mum was sometimes very similar to the one that Iona and Lyn have, and I think a lot of people relate to that when they watch the film. They find similarities in their own relationships, and that’s why they can relate to it.
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How do you feel about “Les Misérables” miniseries?
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It’s such a lovely project! I feel very privileged to be part of such a lovely team, and it’s such a nice environment. The sets, the costumes, the make-up and hair, it’s all amazing and it’s all been very well designed.
So you can just walk into that world and you feel you’re in that time, you’re in the book. And it makes it so much easier as an actor when you have that behind you because you can just relax into the story.
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And do you have a favorite adaptation of “Les Misérables”?
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I haven’t seen the musical on stage but I really enjoyed the film. And of course, the book, the original version, is an amazing read. It’s very long but it’s worth reading.
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Would you like to see a present-day adaptation of “Les Misérables” and where would you place it?
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I think that would be really interesting. I think that, after this, there will be probably enough adaptations of that time setting. I’d love to see a modern adaptation of it and I would definitely be down to be a part of that, “Les Mis 2018.” And for the set…where in the world is there a similar situation? There are quite a few countries with that situation.
Maybe Brasil…
Yes, Brasil would be a nice place. I’d love to see that.
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What can you unveil about your character, Sophie?
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She’s Fantine’s friend at the factory. It’s in the middle of Fantine’s story, she’s working in the factory and she’s got her health, Cosette’s being looked after and she’s making new friends. So it’s quite a nice part of the story, but it’s not like before when she was in love and wearing beautiful clothes. It’s the part of her life when things get slightly more interesting: in a bad way for her, but in an interesting way for the audience.
“I’d love to see a modern adaptation of it and I would definitely be down to be part of that, ‘Les Mis 2018.'”
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About “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” this question is a must: where you a fan of the series?
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Of course. I’ve been a “Star Wars” fan since I was a tiny, tiny child and so I was very happy to have a chance to be part of that.
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If you could go out with one character of the Saga, who would you choose?
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Chewbacca. I think that would be an interesting conversation.
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On “Juliet Naked,” we’re very much looking forward to seeing it.
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Me too! I have no idea how that’s going to turn out. It was so much fun to film, we filmed it in Kent, at the seaside. It was such a pleasure working with Chris O’Dowd and Rose Byrne and I don’t have any of my scenes with Ethan Hawke but we were on the set at the same time. And funnily enough my friend from Drama School was in the film with me and she’s in “Les Mis” as well, so it was nice to have a friend on set. And Jesse [Peretz], the director, was so amazing to work with. He is such a lovely person and a fantastic director.
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Did you have the chance to read the book?
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No, I hadn’t at the time, but the script was fantastic. When I finished it, I thought, “I definitely want to be a part of this.”
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If you could describe “Juliet, Naked” with just one word, what would it be?
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Awkward.
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What’s your favorite film about young and reckless love?
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I really like “Shakespeare In Love.” Weird choice, I know, but it’s the first one that came to mind.
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On “Born a King,” since it is based on real events, how did you research on your character?
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Basic googling at first, I mean my character isn’t so well-known because the story isn’t centred around her, so there was only so much I could find out about her and then the rest had to come from my imagination. But I sort of based the character mostly on this Duchess because the character in the film was actually a real-life character, but they loosely based her on this Duchess. So, I read about her life and used images of her. I used costumes and make-up to help me get into the character, because, when you don’t have a lot of background on the character, you sort of have to use the other parts of the project such as costumes and make-up to help yourself create it.
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Which person and iconic figure from English History would you like to meet?
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I reckon Elizabeth I if we are talking about Royal History. Who else? I want to say someone who’s not a redheaded woman as well because I feel like that’s too obvious.
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How was the experience of the Chanel campaign?
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It was such a nice surprise for them to ask me to do that, and it was such a lovely experience.
I worked with a really great director, Eva Michon, she’s done short films in the past and I saw her work after Chanel told me that we were going to work together. I absolutely loved it and she was such a pleasure to work with. The other girls as well, who were doing the other perfumes (there were four of us). It was just a really lovely few days in Venice, I got to wear beautiful clothes and ride a Gondola and drink lots of lovely wine, it was not a bad experience at all!
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What’s real Beauty for you?
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Honesty.
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Since we are talking about Beauty, what’s your skincare routine?
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My skincare routine should probably be more of a routine: I kind of improvise every day depending on how my skin is feeling. I read this article that you should not use moisturizer every day, so I haven’t been using it every day since I read that. I wash my face with a soap-free and cruelty-free cleanser, I’m using Murad at the moment, which is a great cruelty-free brand, and then I usually use some toner and maybe I put a little bit of eye cream on. And I wear sun protection as well because even though London is not usually sunny the UV rays are always out to get you so it’s best to protect yourself.
And the pollution…
Yes the pollution, I think that’s why a lot of people in London get bad skin. I think it has to do with the pollution and also the water.
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What about your make-up routine?
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I don’t really wear make-up. If I do then I use Charlotte Tilbury, she has cruelty-free makeup and it’s so beautiful and she’s given me lots of lovely products. So I usually use her concealer, and she has a really lovely magic highlighter that I like to put right on my cheekbones and on my eyelids. But I don’t like the feeling of having makeup on and I don’t really suit it, I think my face looks slightly mad if I put makeup on, I look a bit scary so I like to sort of keep it chill.
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3 products of beauty you would bring to a desert island?
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Burt Bee’s lip balm, coconut oil which works for everything and tee tree oil for spots.
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Nowadays, there are a lot of vegan and cruelty-free indie brands, have you tried something interesting lately?
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My granny gave me this little palette from RMS, which is a cruelty-free brand that I really love. I like using the little green concealers because green fights any redness that you have on your face, so I enjoy that. But as I say I don’t tend to wear tonnes of make-up. But I’m very open to trying cruelty-free makeup because I’d like to be an advocate for not testing on animals for the sake of vanity.
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The beauty advice you will never forget?
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I like getting advice from my grandma. She loves make-up and she always recommends wearing bright nail varnish, not that I do, but she does. I saw her a couple of days ago and she was wearing bright orange, like neon orange nail polish, and she was like, “yeah, I mean if you are gonna get your nails painted, why not go completely wild?” If you have to pay for it, you might as well go for the nuttiest colour you can find!
Now, Some Fun Questions…
The motto on your t-shirt: “Put on your red shoes and dance the blues.”
Must have on set: Recycling bin.
The last series you binge-watched: “Queer Eye.”
A TV series you would love to guest-star in: “Queer Eye.”
The last movie you watched: “Mary Poppins.”
Epic fail on the job: In “Pin Cushion” we had a scene in the bath, and when I was having a bath I peed in it: it was really warm and I had to stay in there for a really long time and I couldn’t go to the toilet so I was like, “I’m warning everyone, I’m gonna pee” and they were like, “go for it.” So I did.
The interview question you would like to be asked and that no one ever asks: No one has ever asked me what my sign star is: I’m a Gemini, and it’s really important that everyone knows that.
Happy Place: Whenever I’m with my family but specifically in Devon.
Your favorite spot in London: Battersea Park, I go there every day with Wilfred, my sausage soul mate.
Favorite Word: I say “brilliant” way too much.
Favorite emoji: Fairy because she has red hair and that’s the closest I’ll ever get to a redheaded emoji ?♀️
The book on your nightstand: I keep the same book next to my bed, which I have been reading for about a year, I keep going back to it because it’s not a story, it’s a philosophy book called “Ways Of Seeing” by John Berger. It’s about the literal concept of eyesight and the concept of the viewer in art and the projections you put onto art, which I find really interesting. I’m constantly reminding myself to be grateful for my sight, it is interesting to explore the philosophy behind it as well, how it’s not just a physicality, it is also a philosophy being able to see things. That’s why a lot of opinions come from images. It’s a really interesting book. I’m not describing it well but I recommend reading it.
Who you’d rather be as a character? I’d probably like to play a fairy actually, but in a kind of zombie-apocalypse: like Tinker Bell of a zombie “Peter Pan.”
Favorite movie, then and now: “Carrie”.
The most beautiful thing while filming “Les Misérables” and “Pin Cushion”? In “Les Mis” the costume department: the people who work in the costume department are my favourite and all the costumes are beautiful. In “Pin Cushion” I would say, on a kind of non-physical level, the catharsis that came with making “Pin Cushion”. The sort of release that Deb and I shared dealing with our past traumas and putting that behind us, but also giving it a voice as well.
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What would like for the people to leave with after watching “Pin Cushion”?
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To speak about being bullied, to not stay silent. To treat people the way you would want to be treated, because a lot of bullying comes from people’s own trauma and their own problems, and that’s why people bully others; they are projecting their own problems. So I think there is no way you can be a bully if you treat people the way you’d like to be treated.
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What’s your dream project?
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I want to produce my own projects.
I’ve been meaning to direct, I have a few written projects that I really want to get going; one is mini-series with Wilfred my sausage soul mate, and one is a dark comedy with my best friends – a short film set in Barcelona. And then the other one is a biopic of this amazing girl from the 16th Century (I don’t want to say her name just in case anyone else makes a film about her) and she is literally my doppelgänger (actually her dad is, but anyway): when I was filming “Born a King” we were filming in her Estate and there were paintings of her and her Dad everywhere and everyone was like, “Lily, you’ve got to see this, you are literally on the walls everywhere”. She’s slightly more unfortunate looking than me so I was a bit upset by the fact that everyone said that I looked like her, but I think I do look more like her dad.
Anyway, she had a really interesting life and I want to make a film about her.
Photo Credits: Johnny Carrano.
Makeup and Hairstyle: Alessandra Nicole Poiesi.
Location: Locke Hotels London.
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