“I feel very, very lucky that when I first started out, I mean, my first film, I was mothered by Sandra Bullock and she really took me under her wing during that experience,” said actress Lily Collins.

Lily Collins recently reflected on her first movie role in The Blind Side and she gushed over how Sandra was an inspiration to her on set, both in and out of character.

“It’s possible to be at this point in your career and have done what you’ve done and still be the kindest, most kickass, badass female as well?” Lily told Sky News in an interview published Aug. 17. “Oh, it’s possible! Cool.”

And Sandra—who won an Oscar for the 2009 film—took her role as Lily’s onscreen mother very seriously.

“I feel very, very lucky that when I first started out, in my first film, I was mothered by Sandra Bullock,” the Emily in Paris star—who played the eldest daughter of Sandra and Tim McGraw in the adaptation of the book about football player Michael Oher—continued. “She really took me under her wing during that experience and showed me the ropes.”

Lily also spoke to how the experience was a great place to learn, whether the Ocean’s 8 star intended for it to be or not.

“Even when she didn’t know she was teaching me, she was teaching me because I would watch her on set,” the 35-year-old—whose dad is musician Phil Collins—continued. “Just the way that she spoke to everyone, treated everyone, the questions she asked, and how she just valued her character in ways that I didn’t know, going into it, that you can value… Or things that you can ask or the right that you have to bring your own ideas.”

And this early experience no doubt left a mark on the Love, Rosie alum.

“I really appreciated and respected the way that she handled a set and herself and we stayed in touch,” Lily added. “It made such an impact on me as my first experience to have this amazing, strong, kind female lead the way.”

Indeed, as her career has progressed, the lessons from The Blind Side have shaped how she approaches her work, which includes producing and starring in Emily in Paris. And that means taking the time to listen to fans.

“I think it’s really important for us to take note of what everyone wants to see,” she recently told E! News, “so that we can try to up the ante each season.”