Lily Collins: 'Filming To the Bone was therapeutic'

Filming To The Bone was a new form of recovery for Lily Collins because she was able to experience her eating disorder battle as her character.

The actress stars as Ellen in the film, about a young woman dealing with anorexia. Earlier this year (17), Lily opened up about her past struggles with eating disorders in her book Unfiltered: No Shame, No Regrets, Just Me and she explains the film enabled her to go through a different side of recovery.

"Although I was in recovery for several years before the movie, preparing for the film allowed me to gather facts about eating disorders from professionals," she tells Shape magazine. "It was a new form of recovery for me. I got to experience it as my character, Ellen, but also as Lily."

"I was terrified that doing the movie would take me backward, but I had to remind myself that they hired me to tell a story, not to be a certain weight," she adds. "In the end, it was a gift to be able to step back into shoes I had once worn but from a more mature place."

Although Lily was nervous to speak candidly her past struggles she knew it was time to let go of them.

"I did consider that talking about my struggles with an eating disorder would overshadow my accomplishments as an actor, but I also knew this was something I needed to do to move forward as a human and an actress," she continues. "I needed to let go. I've always strived to start conversations about taboo subjects with young women. Sharing my story in Unfiltered happened to coincide... with To the Bone, but I've always admired people who are relatable and honest. Having suffered from an eating disorder doesn't define me; I'm not ashamed of my past."