Movie preview (+ giveaway!): Mirror Mirror

After spending her early years in the bucolic British countryside, playing Snow White in Mirror Mirror, the much-buzzed-about upcoming film adaptation of the iconic fairy tale, wasn’t a huge stretch for 22-year-old Lily Collins.

“My parents used to read me fairy tales before bed every night,” she says (her dad is musician Phil Collins). “I felt like I lived in a constant fairy tale in my head.”

But Mirror Mirror’s heroine isn’t the Disney princess Collins grew up with. “We’ve modernized Snow White,” she says. “She starts out as a typical wide-eyed, innocent fairy-tale princess, and she turns into a fighter.”

With the help of the seven dwarfs, Snow White becomes a strong, confident warrior princess, fit to conquer the beauty-obsessed Queen (Julia Roberts). “The dwarfs teach her how to fight — for herself and for her kingdom.” Indeed, one of the most gratifying moments in the film for Collins is an intensely choreographed sword fight between Snow White and Prince Charming (Armie Hammer). “That scene, for me, was the most challenging, but also the most rewarding because it took four months of training to prepare for the fight. Armie and I were both so happy and proud when we were done because we’d really worked hard for it.”

Collins saw a lot of herself in the role, partly because she was filming in a brand new city — Montreal. “When I got to Montreal, I didn’t know how everything was going to go and I was nervous,” she says. “Like Snow, I became more open and began to accept new things and really started to grow into myself.  In the end, I fell in love with the city.”

As for her growing fame? She’s hoping to set an example for her young fans by keeping her feet on the ground. “I’m taking it all in,” she says, “but trying to stay as ‘Lily’ as I can be.”

This article was originally published in the March issue of Today's Parent Magazine, with the headline "Power Princess," p. 24.

Attention all parents in Toronto, Ottawa and Vancouver! We've got a giveaway for you! Today's Parent is hosting a special screening of Mirror Mirror in Toronto, Ottawa, and Vancouver on Saturday, March 17, 2012 at 10 a.m.

UPDATE: Due to overwhelming popularity our Toronto screening is sold out! However there are still tickets available for the Ottawa and Vancouver screenings!

If you would like tickets, please send us an email to website@todaysparent.com with your full name, phone number and your preferred screening region and you could receive a pack of four tickets!

To be awarded on a first come first served basis to those who [email], until inventory is depleted. Quantities are limited at the discretion of Rogers.  You must be a Canadian resident, 18 years or older, excluding residents of Quebec. No cash value.