From Zac Efron to Chris Evans – Lily Collins’ Love-life Closely Resembled Her ‘Emily in Paris’ Character Until Her Husband Charlie McDowell Showed Up

Lily Collins has successfully made herself a household name with her charm and solid performances. She rose to fame with her roles in The Blind Side and Mirror Mirror, but it won’t be wrong to say that Emily in Paris solidified her name in the entertainment industry.

However, apart from her work, her dating life had also been the talk of the town since her early days in Hollywood. Collins has been involved in some high-profile relationships, and in a way, it somehow resembles the life of her character, Emily Cooper. Let’s take a look at her dating history and how it resembles Cooper.

Taylor Lautner

The on-screen chemistry between Lily Collins and Taylor Lautner was not completely fake when they shot Abduction in 2010. Their on-screen chemistry was great, and both were often spotted together off-screen as well. However, none of them confirmed their affair, though the media followed their every move.

According to Us Weekly, they dated for about a year before finally splitting up, just one week before the release of Abduction. A source told the magazine that there was a lot of awkwardness as both didn’t speak to each other.

Zac Efron

Lily Collins and Zac Efron are also believed to have had an affair in 2012, although both of them were silent about it. They were seen together on multiple occasions, which sparked the dating rumors. Efron was coming fresh off his Disney success and was getting into more mature roles. He was one of the most sought-after bachelors at the time, which made their alleged romance a hot topic for their fans.

According to Us Weekly, they dated for around 3 months. Sources revealed that they were never serious together and it was all a casual thing. Years later, in 2019, they both came together in Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile and are still good friends.

Jamie Campbell Bower

Quite similar to that of Lautner, Collins, and Jamie Campbell Bower‘s relationship also began when she was filming The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones in 2012. Similar to Lautner, Collins, and Bower’s on-screen chemistry manifested into an off-screen relationship. However, it was an on-and-off one.

However, this was the first relationship where both have confirmed their affair. According to Us Weekly, they got together in 2012, broke up in 2013 and after allegedly dating some others, Collins came back to Bower in 2015. However, according to Daily Mail, they decided to part ways as they believed they were not right for each other.

Thomas Cocquerel

According to Us Weekly, Collins and Australian actor Thomas Cocquerel first met through a mutual friend. Collins was coming after a recent breakup with Bower, and she was seen with Cocquerel in public, multiple times.

However, both kept their affair lowkey, and nobody confirmed. But Collins once shared a picture of them on social media at the time. The alleged couple dated for just a few months, and Collins reportedly went back to Bower.

Chris Evans

Dating Captain America fame Chris Evans was surprising and one of the most talked about relationships of Collins. According to Daily Mail, both first met during Vanity Fair‘s Oscar party and later went on multiple dates. Evans was at the pinnacle of his popularity, and Collins was a rising fame at the time, which again interested the media and fans.

However, none confirmed their affair. According to Daily Mail, Evans almost bumped into his ex, Minka Kelly, while he was on a date with Collins in LA. Collins and Evans reportedly dated for a year before splitting up.

Nick Jonas

This was another short-lived romance for both Nick Jonas and Collins. In 2016, their rumor started after they were seen together multiple times. One of the major topics of discussion during their alleged affair was their age difference. According to E! News, they went on to several dates and had a great time together.

During that time, Jonas was transitioning from his boy band image to his solo career and was getting linked to various celebs. According to the source, it was not a serious affair, and Jonas went on to meet Priyanka Chopra just a few months after their split up.

Charlie McDowell

After gaining enough experience in the dating scene, Collins finally found her love in filmmaker Charlie McDowell. They began dating in 2019 and didn’t take much time to get serious. It seems like McDowell, who is known for his work in the indie scene, brought some stability into Collins’ life.

They met on the set of Gilded Rage, which was directed by McDowell himself. During an episode of Live With Kelly and Ryan (via People), Collins revealed that she immediately wanted to be McDowell’s wife the moment she met him. They dated for about a year, announced the engagement in 2020, and got married by 2021 in Colorado.

Lily Collins’ On-Screen Love Life in Emily in Paris vs. Real Life

Collins’ dating life in Emily in Paris is much like her real dating life. Emily Cooper goes through multiple partners and experiences confusion and resilience in almost every relationship, and that complexity makes the show entertaining for fans.

Similar to her real life, Collins’ character needs to balance her career and relationship altogether, like in the case of Mathieu Cadault. Just like her real life, Cooper also experiences some complicated relationships, confused between multiple partners.

Besides these, the short-lived nature of relationships is also another parallel between Collins’ real and reel life. Collins seemed to quickly get interested in a partner, which often ended in a breakup shortly after, much like Cooper. Just like Collins’ real-life relationships shaped her journey, Cooper’s relationships also shaped her character development.

Emily in Paris is streaming on Netflix.