On February 3, Lily Collins officially became a Golden Globes nominee for her television work. The 31-year-old Emily in Paris actress snagged a nomination for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy TV series, while the Netflix series earned a nomination for Best Television Series, Musical or Comedy.
If you spent exactly one evening and one bottle of wine hate-bingeing this series, you’re probably a little baffled that it’s up there with Schitt’s Creek, according to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA). You may also be skeptical about the choice following the recent release of the Los Angeles Times’ report suggesting an all-expenses-paid Paris set visit for some members of the HFPA may have helped the show get its noms. But, as Emily would say from her minimal French lessons, “c’est la vie.”
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Golden Globes, usually held in January, are now on Sunday, February 28 and will be a bicoastal, hybrid in-person/remote ceremony. But that doesn’t mean we won’t get to see Collins in her awards-show best—possibly with her fiancé, Charlie McDowell, by her side.
Collins and McDowell got engaged in September of 2020, after dating for more than a year.
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The two are pretty publicly affectionate on social media: After their engagement, Collins posted several photos and videos to show off her square diamond ring, which was custom-made by jeweler Irene Neuwirth.
“I think we’re just, you know, totally soaking in being engaged and still celebrating with people that we can, in a way that is safe…” Collins told Extra of her COVID-era engagement. “Eight months of being together in quarantine has definitely felt like the most incredible way of getting to know someone.”
Who is this man who’s inspired all the glowing Instagram posts and declarations of love from the Emily in Paris and Mank (2020) star? Here’s what we know about Charlie McDowell.
McDowell is a child of Hollywood legends
Like Collins, whose father is British musician Phil Collins, McDowell comes from an entertainment family. Upon first guess, you might think he’s related to actress Andie MacDowell (it’s a different spelling, but they do have a pretty funny connection. More on that later). His mom is actually a different legendary actress, Mary Steenburgen (aka the iconic mom in basically every rom-com).
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His dad is British actor Malcolm McDowell, with whom Steenburgen shares McDowell (37) and his sister Lilly McDowell Walton (40).
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Steenburgen divorced Malcolm in 1991 and married The Good Place and Cheers actor Ted Danson in 1995. Danson has two daughters, Kate and Alexis Danson, from his marriage to his first wife, Cassandra “Casey” Coates.
“When I was a teenager I didn’t understand why @msteenburgen made us do this,” Collins’ fiancé wrote alongside a photo of his blended family in 2017. “But I get it now. You wanted us to be able to pose harder than any other bitch ass in the room. Thank you. And happy Mother’s Day.”
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Malcolm McDowell has three sons with his wife, Kelley Kuhr: Beckett, Finnias, and Seamus.
He’s a filmmaker
McDowell is a writer/director. His major directing projects have been The One I Love (2014) starring Elisabeth Moss, Mark Duplass, and Ted Danson; Silicon Valley (2016); and The Discovery (2017). He has also directed two episodes of On Becoming a God in Central Florida (2019), Dear White People (2017-2018), and is behind several more projects. He made a comedy short, Bye Bye Benjamin, in 2006, when he was 22 years old. Here he is with his dad and sister Lilly at the screening in June of that year:
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He made a website about his neighbors and then wrote a book about it—to some controversy.
Starting in 2009, McDowell started tweeting open letters to the women who lived in the apartment about him. “Two annoying girls moved into the apartment above me, he writes on the site where the open letters are archived. “I’m forced to hear every dumb thing they say. These are my letters to them.”
In 2013, he published a book called Dear Girls Above Me: Inspired by a True Story, based on his Twitter feed Dear Girls Above Me. Amazon calls it, “a roman à clef about how thinking like a couple of girls turned one single guy into a better man.”
Some of McDowell’s jokes did (rightfully) generate some controversy though, particularly those about rape and eating disorders, which were flagged on social media and attracted attention. In December 2019, Collins responded to social media comments:
“This week I saw some messages and comments that were really hurtful to me and someone I love,” she wrote, in part. “It’s never okay to verbally abuse, bully, or threaten people even if you don’t agree with their opinion or sense of humor.”
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He has one long-running joke on his Instagram
In 2014, McDowell started a joke on his Instagram grid that still lives on today. He posted a photo of Andie MacDowell (not his mom) with the message, “31 years ago this woman gave birth to me.”
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His sister Lilly even joined in the joke: “I love when mom wears her hair like this.”
Seriously, he had me fooled for a while there:
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On Mother’s Day last year, Steenburgen posted a video of her son calling Andie for Mother’s Day. She revealed in the post that her 37-year-old son calls the actress every Mother’s Day, but she takes it in stride: “Love to you, Andie from me and love to you my son, who never fails to make me laugh,” she wrote. “😘😂🌺.”
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MacDowell is the mother of actress Margaret Qualley and her siblings Rainey and Justin. But she seems to accept Charlie as her honorary son, too.
Besides the now seven-year-old Andie MacDowell joke, McDowell likes to take a silly photo:
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And he really loves to troll his mom:
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He’s an uncle
He posts a lot of adorable photos with the kiddos in his life:
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He’s a dog dad
There are a lot of sweet moments on his Instagram of the dogs in his life, too:
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In 2019, he introduced his friends and followers to his dog, Redford. He wrote a message to his late dog Marvin (pictured above): “Marvin, if you can hear me, I miss you every waking moment. You will never be replaced. And as I write this and tears stream down my face, Redford is licking them away, which I think you would approve of. ❤️”
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And a surfer
At the end of 2020 he made this joke alongside a wipeout surfing photo: “Goodbye 2020. You didn’t feel good.”
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“But damn, you made it look good regardless,” Collins responded. “Can’t wait to party wave with you in 2021 💙.”
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He’s dated Kristin Chenoweth, Rooney Mara, and Emilia Clarke
McDowell has a lot of famous exes. In 2008, McDowell dated his mom’s Four Christmases (2008) co-star. “We met on set,” he told People then. After that, he dated Rooney Mara for what was reportedly six years (2010-2016). Most recently, he was romantically linked to Game of Thrones actress Emilia Clarke. They got together in 2018 and quietly split in 2019, per Cosmopolitan.
McDowell and Collins appear to have started dating around the summer of 2019; Collins posted her first grid photo of him in August of that year. One year and month later, they were engaged.
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