From the outset, Lily McInerny was poised to play the poster child of emerging girlhood. In Durga Chew-Bose’s first feature film, Bonjour Tristesse, she does just that—for the second time. Based on the novel by Françoise Sagan, the story follows an 18-year-old Cécile—played by McInerny—navigating the boulevards of a burdensome girlhood when the arrival of her late mother’s mysterious friend disrupts her bucolic world. Catastrophe is imminent, and—against the backdrop of a charmingly idyllic seaside town—she encounters hesitation, heartbreak, and a hopelessly enamored hunk. 

McInerny’s involvement with Bonjour Tristesse was as out of the blue as the sparkling waters of the French Riviera, where the film is set. When the babysitter fell through, writer, filmmaker, and close family friend, Chew-Bose, would step in. She watched a budding Lily grow, so when the time came to direct a coming-of-age drama about a teenager feeling her way through the labyrinth of adolescence, the role of Cécile all but made a McInerny-shaped hole in the wall. “It was unusual not to go through several rounds of auditions, and the immediate trust Durga placed in me and my ability as an actor was extremely empowering,” McInerny remembers. “I question whether our existing relationship made it possible for me to be as vulnerable as I was with Durga, or whether she just brings that out in everyone she meets through her sensitivity and kindness…I think having our shared history made the experience that much more sentimental, and that feeling of wonder and reminiscence might have seeped its way into the film itself.”

The pampered daughter of a wealthy industrialist, Françoise Sagan published her first novel, Bonjour Tristesse, at 18 years old. Mildly put, the public reaction was mixed. Cécile, McInerny’s character in the film, surfaced as the prototypical French girl of the 20th Century. She represented a newfound agency for young women, and between sex, seduction, and scandal, nothing was off limits. While several critics denounced the novel as immature folly, McInerny, who read Bonjour Tristesse leading up to and during shooting (“the book was never far from my side, on set and off”), admired Sagan’s defiance of prevailing social and gender norms. “What stands out to me, as for so many people when first reading the novel, is its candid discussion of desire and sex separate from romance through a young woman’s perspective,” McInerny says. “At the time of its release, it was even condemned by the Pope for its sexual content… Now, 70 years later, it’s just as distinctive for its reflections on sexual awakening, jealousy, detachment, competition, and idolization between generations of women, hedonism, apathy, rage, and violence at the hands of a girl. The assertiveness of [Sagan’s] voice when writing the novel at only 18 makes it that much more moving to me.” 

In the novel, as in the film, Cécile’s ‘free to frolic’ mentality clashes with the inescapable insecurity of a young woman grasping for an acknowledged identity but fearful of being so much as perceived. And McInerny, who went through a particularly arduous time in adolescence, found solace in her character’s uncompromising grit. In playing Cécile, she was able to pinpoint certain instances of social conditioning that plagued her from an early age. “I was able to undo a lot of residual shame and fear from my teenage years. My childhood was pretty blissful, but adolescence wasn’t easy for me. I was constantly faced with the danger surrounding my sexuality, as well as its power and influence. With all that being said, I never felt or thought as deeply as I had when I was a teenage girl, and for that I am extremely grateful.” 

So what would the Lily of today say to her younger counterpart? First, she would tell her not to change a thing (“besides maybe investing in Facebook or something”), and she would urge her to go easy on herself, to recognize that “‘coming-of-age’ is no small feat.” And to all young girls, McInerny’s rallying cry is reassuringly resolute: “Strap in and ride it out, and hold steadfast to the belief that it will get better. Nothing should take precedence over your health and pleasure. Grades and test scores are not an accurate measure of your worth or ability. People profit off of propagating insecurity, but don’t fall for it! It’s cool to care about stuff, to be emotional, to be impassioned. Be kind to those who need it the most, and most importantly, be kind to yourself.”

This story appears in the pages of V155: now available for purchase!

Photography Mico Corvino

Fashion Roberto Johnson

Hair Ginger Ryan using Highland Beauty and R&Co

Makeup Shaina Ehrlich using 111 Skin & Hourglass

Manicure Nori (See Management) using Dior

Editor/Casting Kev Ponce

Text Penny Spiliotopoulos

Studio Splashlight

Photo Assistant Meg McConville

Stylist Assistants Maya Jones, Starr Callahan