Who is Lily Collins' Fiancé, Charlie McDowell?
As Emily Cooper in Emily in Paris, Lily Collins finds herself falling for her neighbor Gabriel while traipsing through the City of Lights. In reality, Collins’ own relationship seems just as enviable. While Collins prefers to keep her personal life away from the cameras, intermittent looks into her love life, whether on social media or in interviews, prove that you don't have to go to Paris to find a love story. In September, the Mank actress announced her engagement to her boyfriend of more than a year, Charlie McDowell. If that name doesn't sound familiar, don't fret. L’OFFICIEL has everything you need to know about the actress and her new fiancé.
Who is Charlie McDowell?
Like Collins, McDowell comes from a family embedded in the entertainment industry: his father is Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange, Caligula), his mother is Mary Steenburgen (Melvin and Howard, Elf), and his step-father is Ted Danson (The Good Place, Cheers). However, unlike his parents and Collins, the 37-year-old prefers to stay behind the scenes, directing, producing, and writing.
McDowell made his directorial debut in 2014 with The One I Love, a thriller starring Elisabeth Moss and Mark Duplass. In 2017, McDowell wrote, directed, and produced The Discovery, a sci-fi movie about the implications of proving an afterlife. The film stars Steenburgen, Robert Redford, Jason Segel, and Rooney Mara, who dated McDowell from 2010 to 2016.
McDowell has also been romantically linked in the past to Broadway actress Kristen Chenoweth and Game of Thrones' Emilia Clarke.
How did they meet?
While it’s been reported that the couple met in early 2019, there’s not much detail about how they met. Collins has openly discussed her decision to her keep much of her private life away from the public eye after watching the way the media covered her father, musician Phil Collins', relationships.
However, Collins said that the couple had an instant connection. She explained on Live with Kelly and Ryan that their first encounter was “one of those situations where I knew the second that I met him that I wanted to be his wife one day."
When did they make it official?
Shortly after meeting, Collins and McDowell took things to the next level by making their relationship status Instagram official. In August 2019, Collins shared a photo hugging her boyfriend while in Paris shooting Emily in Paris.
Just over six months later, the world went into lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing many, including Collins and McDowell to stay home and quarantine together. The experience only brought the two closer.
While road tripping across the West in an RV, McDowell popped the question in September 2020 in Sedona, Arizona with a rose-cut diamond ring from Irene Neuwirth. Both Collins and McDowell shared the happy news on Instagram. Her caption read, “I’ve been waiting my lifetime for you and I can’t wait to spend our lifetime together…"
