Weeks before photos surfaced of Lily James packing on the PDA with married Dominic West, the actress opened up about being ‘rebellious’ and ‘making mistakes’ in life.
“I think I make mistakes all the time,” Lily James, 31, admitted in an interview with Harper’s Bazaar, which was filmed weeks ago and released on Oct. 11. “That’s what life is about. I would never want to run away from a situation or be too scared to act. I think it’s better to throw yourself in and make mistakes with an open heart. If your instincts are great, even if they’re misguided, and if you’re open, you can recover from your mistakes and learn from them.”
Coincidentally, just one day after this interview came out, Lily was at the center of a very public scandal — she was pictured looking quite cozy with her married co-star, Dominic West, 50, in Rome. Pictures surfaced of the pair dining outside together, and at one point, Dominic leaned in and kissed Lily’s neck. Fans couldn’t help but notice that some of Lily’s Harper’s Bazaar comments seemed to relate pretty directly to her current situation.
“I think I was always a rebellious teenager and I think it’s important for us to rebel all the time,” Lily said in the Q&A. She also opened up about developing a “thicker skin” in response to criticism over the years. “All that really matters is how you feel about yourself and how the people that you love feel about you,” she insisted. “You can arm yourself with that power and knowledge.”
Lily has yet to comment on the photos of herself and Dominic. However, the actor and his wife of ten years, Catherine FitzGerald, broke their silence in a big way on Oct. 13. The couple put on a united front by kissing in front of photographers and reporters outside their home. They also insisted that their “marriage is strong” and let everyone know that they’re very much “still together.”
Dominic and Catherine tied the knot in 2010 and have four kids together. The actor met Lily while filming the upcoming BBC series, The Pursuit Of Love, which began filming over the summer. Meanwhile, Lily ended her five year relationship with Matt Smith earlier this year.