Here’s a clip of the Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company asking a group of teenagers to tell the story of “Romeo and Juliet” in their own words. This is what they had to say…

Added in the gallery, a couple of new outtakes from the photoshoot Lily did for The Hollywood Reporter last year while promoting Cinderella!

Also updated some old sessions with the HQs, enjoy :)

BROADWAY – Annoyed that you can’t get to the West End to see Cinderella film stars Richard Madden, Lily James and Derek Jacobi in Romeo and Juliet? Never fear, Kenneth Branagh and Rob Ashford’s interpretation of the Bard’s classic, set in 1950s Italy, will broadcast to more than 1,200 movie theaters worldwide live from the Garrick Theatre on July 7. “I really think it’s so exciting to see Shakespeare on film and to watch plays displaced from their original setting into a new medium,” said James in a statement. “I can’t wait!” The production is scheduled to play through August 13.

ELLE SOUTH AFRICA – Based on the novel by Russian author Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace is a story of three young people set against the epic backdrop of Russia’s wars with Napoleon. Ahead of its premier in South Africa this Sunday, 26 June on BBC First (DStv channel 119), we catch up with the Hollywood heroine on playing the beloved literary character Natasha Rostov.

What was it like to be asked to be in War and Peace which is such an iconic masterpiece? Was it an extra weight on your shoulders or a job just like any other?
It’s been a unique job; very special. But when I was asked to audition for it I had never read the book. I knew it was a big deal but I wasn’t too aware of it. I didn’t know the plot and I hadn’t seen any adaptations of it. But when I began reading the book I fell in love with Natasha. And I read the scripts too and realised then what a responsibility it was in playing her and I did feel a huge weight, a sort of pressure, then. But the director, Tom Harper, was really good. He was directing this epic story and he directed out of sequence, so one minute I was 14 and then I was 13, and we were filming in Russia, Lithuania and Latvia and yet he was so relaxed. I never saw him shout. He kept a sense of joy and humour about it all, which I think is really important even when you are doing very heavy, sad stuff. And the great actors in the cast helped. Everyone was so brilliant. Paul Dano is just so incredible as Pierre.

Andrew Davies describes Natasha as the most romantic character in literature. Do you agree and what makes her so romantic?
I would completely agree. I think she is a crazy romantic! As a young girl she is in love with love and she doesn’t know what it is yet but she’s fascinated by it. In episode one she sees her brother Nikolai kiss Sonya and it’s like she can feel it but she doesn’t understand it. She loves to sing and I think she has learnt romance through music and dance. She is so passionate and she feels things really intensely and I love how she goes from such extremes, not only in her story and her journey, but from every moment. She goes from laughter to tears in an instance because she is so romantic. And I think her idea of what love is and what it should be is why she gets so lost along the way.

Was it daunting for you that Audrey Hepburn played the part of Natasha in a 1956 movie adaptation?
I love Audrey Hepburn. When I was at drama school I was so obsessed with her that I got the box set of her films. But I hadn’t seen her do War and Peace and I’m really glad because I don’t know how you can then try to do it yourself.

Did you manage to finish the lengthy book?
Yes. I loved it. I was cast early so I had a long time to read it. I was amazed at how easy it was to read. Whenever I got to the passages about Natasha, my heart soared. I just think she is so incredible. I wanted to capture all the different sides of her, even the things that aren’t very likeable on the page, such as her vanity. When we were filming, if there was a mirror in the room I would try to look at it because I love how Tolstoy said that when she looks in the mirror she thinks she is the most beautiful girl in the world.

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To celebrate the opening night of “Romeo and Juliet”, Lily attended the press night after party alongside co-star and friend Richard Madden on May 25, 2016 in London.

Here’s your first look at Lily as Juliet in Kenneth Branagh’s play “Romeo and Juliet”. The play runs at the Garrick Theatre from 25 May to 13 August.

On Tuesday (April 21), Lily visited The Graham Norton Show with her Cinderella and Romeo and Juliet co-star Richard Madden. Joan Collins, Paul Hollywood, and DNCE also appeared on the show. The interview aired yesterday night (Friday, April 22) on BBC One. You can check out high quality photos from the talk show in the gallery and watch clips from the interview below.

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The first rehearsal pictures for Lily and Richard Madden’s new play Romeo & Juliet have just been released, you can check them in our gallery! They look so great! Enjoy :)