GRAZIA – We don’t know about you but we are BEYOND excited for the release of Cinderella especially because our girl crush of the moment, Lily James takes on the role of the greatest Disney princess to EVER grace Disneyland!

Our Joshington Post caught up with the actress last week to talk about the challenges she faced when taking on the role- namely having to use a portaloo when in costume- what she learnt from Cate Blanchet and whether or not Cinderella is a feminist.

If that wasn’t enough for you Joshington challenges the former Downton Abbey star to a game of Snog, Marry, Avoid: Prince Charming edition. Will Lily banish Brad Pitt from the kingdom, snog Jamie Dornan at midnight or live happily ever after with Keith Lemon? I bet you can’t guess what she is going to say….

Watch the video above for the exclusive chat and keep watching until the end to find out what Lily’s hidden talent is…

VOGUE – She may be most famous at the moment for playing the corseted lead role in Disney’s latest epic, Cinderella, but Lily James is much more of a low-key, jeans-and-jumper girl at heart.

“When the cameras are off I’m basically in jeans and my boyfriend’s jumpers. That’s it – jeans and jumpers,” she told us this weekend. “For the red carpet I have an amazing stylist and I go to her living room and these amazing gowns are spilling out of the windows, so that’s side of it I’ve got complete faith in, but I do find the make-up and the hair and the getting ready all quite stressful because it’s so far removed from how I am when I’m off duty.”

Wardrobe and make-up aside, there are other differences between Lily and her rag-to-riches character (she admits to being more like Walt Disney’s heroines Belle and Pocahontas in real life), and, while she loved the four-month experience of making the fairy-tale epic, the former Downton Abbey star is looking forward to working on a completely different genre when her current commitments are over.

“I’m actually doing War and Peace at the moment playing Natasha Rostova so it couldn’t get more epic after Cinderella than that – which is slightly daunting – but afterwards I’d really love to do an indie film or something completely different that’s modern and fresh.”

Well on her way to becoming the home-grown starlet to watch on the international stage, James is looking to mirror the successful career trajectory of another British film star.

“I think Keira Knightley is amazing and I’ve heard also that she is one of the coolest, most down-to-earth, brilliant girls and I really look up to her in that respect,” she enthused. “She’s got it all really and I think she’s made interesting bold choices in her work.”

High praise that, ironically, currently describes James herself.

GLAMOUR – Lily James popped into GLAMOUR’s offices – and as well as talking all things Cinderella (the audition, the dress, the Prince), the actress revealed who is the most fun to work with in Downton Abbey and her beauty secrets.

I’m very excited to be here, beer in hand, champagne all around and answering your questions #GLAMOURLily

Do have a favourite Disney villain?
Ursula from The Little Mermaid. I love her. It was a Sunday afternoon and I watched it after not seeing it for a while. Her singing and her boobs…

Are you excited to play Juliet in Romeo & Juliet?
I can’t wait! I love Shakespeare and, you know, we’re coming to the end of the Cinderella press tour and I think if I didn’t know I had Richard Madden and Kenneth Branagh in my life again, I’d be really upset about it. I loved working with them so much. I would miss them.

What was the best part about being Cinderella?
The mixture of costumes and actors.

If you could have any superpower what would it be?
To fly! Or go back in time.

How do you feel having redefined Cinderella?
It’s an honour to bring real life to the fairy-tale.

Who was the most fun to work with in Downton Abbey?
Laura [Carmichael] and/or Michelle [Dockery]. And Jim Carter. EVERYONE! Jim Carter is fun to be with when you’re not working, especially with a bottle of red wine.

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GLAMOUR – Lily James, the 25-year-old star of the live-action film Cinderella, popped into GLAMOUR HQ to peruse the fashion cupboard and talk all things style.

Lily James on her favourite Cinderella premiere dress…
It’s very hard. It’s very hard for me to choose. I did love what I wore at the World premiere, the Elie Saab gown, just because it was SO princessy. I mean, I don’t know if I’d ever wear that out of context but on this tour it just felt, I mean, she makes the most beautiful gowns, and it just felt very magical.

Lily James on why she chose Balenciaga for the UK premiere…
Well, he made it for me custom-made, and when Alexander Wang says ‘I want to make you a dress’, you say ‘yes please!’. It was really exciting actually because they came around, so I sort of saw it develop and grow, and I loved it.

Lily James on how she chooses her red carpet dresses…
I have an amazing stylist, she’s called Rebecca Corbin Murray … I go around to her living room and it’s sort of exploding with dresses and we go through them all and she’s so good at picking things she knows I’ll like and we work together. She’s taught me absolutely everything, she’s brilliant.

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GLAMOUR – When Cinderella’s Lily James came to GLAMOUR HQ to be a colleague for the day, we sat the leading lady down to talk all things beauty. From the products she loves to the best industry tips she’s picked up, here’s Lily James’ beauty 101…

GLAMOUR: What are your three skincare essentials?
Lily James: I basically love to cleanse, tone, moisturise. I love the Liz Earle’s cleanser polish with the towel. At the moment I’m using a Natura Bissé toner, I think they’re really good, and the moisturiser would be the Sisley Rose Oil.

Who is your beauty icon?
Keira Knightley, I think she’s beautiful, I love her.

What does your daily beauty regime consist of?
Well I’ve actually recently changed it, because I was cleansing and moisturising morning and night, but I think it’s too much for your skin, and you want to keep the natural oils. So now I do it in the evening, and in the morning I just use this Diamond Mist moisturiser, which is Natura Bissé as well, or there’s a Dior Maximiser Glow Beauty Balm, just to give you a bit of moisture.

And how do you put on your make-up?
Haphazardly (laughs). I’ll wear a really light tinted moisturiser, I use a Clinique one, and then I just put on mascara and blusher.

So the next question was, do you stick to one brand? Obviously not!
Well I really don’t, and I think it’s really good to keep changing, because your skin gets used to stuff.

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Lily James says she understood her character of Cinderella and was glad Kenneth Branagh’s re-telling of the story challenges people’s perceptions of the princess. The movie, which opens in UK cinemas on March 27th, also stars Helena Bonham Carter and Cate Blanchett as the Fairy Godmother and Stepmother respectively.