Lily Collins Struggled With Eating Disorders as a Teen

— -- Lily Collins' newest role as a woman seeking treatment for anorexia hits close to home.

The 27-year-old actress personally struggled with eating disorders as a teenager, something she revealed while at the Sundance Film Festival, where her new film, "To the Bone," premiered.

"This was definitely a more dramatic role for me. I suffered with eating disorders when I was a teenager as well," she said during an interview with IMDb Studio. "I wrote a book last year and I wrote my chapter on my experiences a week before I got Marti's script and it was like the universe kind of putting these things in my sphere to help me face, kind of dead on, a fear that I used to have and a way to explain it as someone who's gone through it and to open up a topic that is considered quite taboo with young people nowadays, male, female, and to really start a conversation."

Preparing for the role wasn't easy, however.

"It caused me to have to emotionally go there, but in a way that was the most safe, healthy way possible with a nutritionist," said Collins, who shed weight for the role, "and really to physically go there but also emotionally. And it did require a different set of emotional skills, to kind of go back in time for me, with you know, my experiences."

The result, Collins said, was a "different type of film for me to do, very, very personal."

Later, the actress took to Instagram to express how freeing it has been for her both to make the film and reveal her past.

"Chilled to the bone but feeling so free," she wrote Sunday. "What a huge moment this is for me. Owning my past, being open, and having no shame or regrets about my experiences. Sharing my history with eating disorders and how personal this film has been is one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life."

She concluded by thanking her fans for their love and support.

"I'm sending all of mine right back (especially today!) and remember, you are never ever alone," she wrote.