Lily Collins was afraid to ask if she had been cast in 'Rules Don't Apply'.

Lily Collins

Lily Collins

The 27-year-old actress was desperate to land a role in the first movie directed by Warren Beatty since 1998 but admitted that for some time she was too scared to check if she had been successful.

She told The Hollywood Reporter: "I never knew and I never wanted to ask. It's the kind of movie where it was never gonna be real until we're shooting, and even when we were shooting we were like, 'Is this really happening?'"

Beatty also stars as reclusive Howard Hughes in the movie, which tells the story of the relationship between two young employees of his, an actress (Collins) and a driver (Alden Ehrenreich).

Speaking previously about the process of getting the role, Lily said: "From our first meeting to the second, it was a couple of months, a long process of just meeting and talking about life. And then, finally, reading the script.

"I still had no idea if I was doing the movie. There was never an audition, just a month of hanging out and chatting. I think Warren reads people. He's a great judge of character. He was auditioning me in a way through just meeting me. That's part of his brilliance. He knows what he's looking for. I feel it totally mirrored my character - and I don't know if that was on purpose! Marla just wants to please Howard Hughes, and is just waiting and waiting."