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Five Things You Don’t Know About Lily James

August 25th 2016

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James, who was born April 5, 1989, in Surrey, England, is actually called Lily Ninette Thomson. Lily James is her stage name and acting runs in her family. James’ father, James Thomson, is an actor and musician, and her grandmother, Helen Horton, has 70 credits to her six-decade career including Alien (1979) and Superman III (1983).
James has played Lady Rose MacClare on Downton Abbey since the series’ third season in 2010. Prior to this role she earned herself a sterling reputation as a compelling theatre actress but you’d be wrong in assuming she’s not down-to-earth. She’s proved on various occasions she’s just a normal girl and is regularly papped going incognito on the London Underground.
James is dating a fellow British actor – 32-year-old former Doctor Who star Matt Smith. They keep their relationship private and she told InStyle UK: “In regards to your love life, you’re just entering into a whole of pain if you talk about it. If you’ve never said anything, there are no sound bites to haunt you when you’re crying into a box of Kleenex after it all goes wrong.”
Many know James from her leading role in the 2015 film Cinderella, but she originally auditioned to play one of the evil stepsisters. A natural brunette, James dyed her hair blonde for her role on Downton Abbey. Ironically it was those blonde locks that helped secure the starring role. At the Cinderella premiere in Los Angeles, she gushed about her co-star Richard Madden, calling him the “perfect” Prince Charming.
Her controversially cheeky Downton Abbey character ruffled feathers, which led to diehard fans sending her hateful online messages. “I got loads of nasty tweets when I started on the show,” the 27-year-old told the Daily Mail in 2013. “It was kind of taking over my life for a while.” She was so upset she confided in her co-star Tom Cullen. “Tom reminded me you have to stay true to a character and that I should not worry about the negativity from the fans.

Burberry is known for pulling in the big names when it comes to its campaigns. In 2014, the brand enlisted Kate Moss and Cara Delevingne for the launch of My Burberry, so it comes as a surprise that demure actress Lily James has taken center stage in nothing but a trench coat for the My Burberry Black fragrance. MOJEH reveals five things you may not know about Burberry’s latest star.

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