Television creator Darren Starr has been wowing audiences since the 1990s with his work on young adult melodramas like Beverly Hills, 90210 and Melrose Place and later with his work as showrunner on one of the most iconic HBO shows of all time, Sex and the City. The show brought the modern, sexual, relatable, though not always likeable female hero to the fore and changed television forever. His most recent show, Emily in Paris, continues this tradition, and with its third season on the way and its fourth already confirmed, Starr has been given a great opportunity to reshape, expand, and surprise these characters.
Emily in Paris follows Emily Cooper, an American twenty-something from Chicago who takes up a job in Paris and struggles to balance her work and love life all while struggling with a culture she knows nothing about. For those who haven’t revisited the show since Season 2, here’s a quick but thorough rundown of all the characters and actors that have made the show unique!
Lily Collins as Emily Cooper
Emily Cooper, played by Lily Collins, is a warm, friendly, and somewhat careless protagonist of the show. With a Master’s degree in marketing, she swiftly takes advantage of the opportunity to move to Paris for an unexpected job opportunity at the marketing firm, Savoir. Tasked with bringing an American point of view to a French marketing firm, she often butts heads with her proud French boss, Sylvie. This is not aided by the fact that she does not bother to adjust to the culture by learning the language. However, soon her enthusiasm and resilience lead her to gain the respect of the others. Her love life has not been so straightforward unfortunately. After breaking up with her Chicago boyfriend, Doug, she begins a flirtation with her downstairs neighbor, Gabriel, a chef who happens to be the boyfriend of her friend Camille. At the end of Season 1, the two hook up, and though she tries to hide it, Camille finds out. Season 2 ends with Emily and Camille rekindling their friendship after she promises not to date Gabriel. Emily then begins seeing a British man named Alfie and Gabriel gets back together with Camille, but it’s clear the two have unfinished business.
Lily Collins got her first big break as Sandra Bullock’s daughter in The Blind Side and has since starred in several critically acclaimed films. She was the lead in Warren Beatty’s long awaited return to directing Rules Don’t Apply and had a small but decisive role in David Fincher’s Mank. She has received some of the best reviews of her career for her role as Fantine in the miniseries Les Miserables and the anorexia drama, To The Bone.
Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu as Sylvie
Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu plays Sylvie, Emily’s hard-working and hard to please boss. She is intelligent and expects a lot from her employees. Because of her blunt honesty, she can often come across as harsh. However, in her private life, she leads a much more care free life as she enjoys an open relationship with her husband. She doesn’t get along with Emily at the start because she finds this American arrival to be extremely intrusive. Her attitude toward Emily shifts when Emily repairs the professional relationship between Sylvie and her lover Antoine Lambert in the first season. Season two ends with an infuriated Sylvie leaving the marketing firm after an unpleasant visit from Emily’s American boss. She announces she is launching her own luxury marketing firm and wants to take the whole team with her, including Emily, should she accept.
Philippine Leroy Beaulieu has been a legend on the French screen for years and even made her debut in Surprise Party by Roger Vadim. Since then, she has worked on shows like Call My Agent and is appearing in the newest season of The Crown.
Ashley Park as Mindy Chen
Ashley Park plays Mindy Chen, a Chinese Korean former nanny and aspiring singer who becomes Emily’s first friend in Paris. Though she is the daughter of a Singapore business magnate, she wants to make it on her own, much to her father’s dismay. She helps Emily adjust to the new culture while Emily helps her gain confidence in her singing after a traumatic experience on a Chinese singing competition. Emily convinces her to pursue her singing career more seriously at the cost of her nannying job and Season 2 sees Mindy working at a cabaret. She meets two aspiring musicians/buskers and becomes their lead singer. She begins a romance with the guitarist Benoit, but things get complicated when he finds out about her past as an heiress. Thankfully, with Emily’s support, Mindy is able to smooth things over with the band and Benoit.
Ashley Park first became known to audiences for her role as Gretchen Wieners in the original production of Mean Girls. She currently has a recurring role in Girls5eva and will appear alongside Steven Yeun in the series, Beef.
Camille Razat as Camille
Camille Razat plays Camille, Emily’s first French friend in Paris. Their friendship is complicated by Emily’s attraction to Camille’s boyfriend Gabriel. When Camille discovers Emily and Gabriel’s tryst, she delivers a scathing toast at Emily’s birthday dinner and abruptly ends their friendship. She ices Emily out of her personal life as well as her professional life by asking Savoir to remove Emily from managing her family business’ account. After some time passes, Camille forgives Emily after she promises not to date Gabriel. Season 2 ends with Camille moving in to Gabriel’s apartment.
Camille Razat first rose to prominence for her role in the French police thriller, The Disappearance, but has since worked with directors like Clint Eastwood in The 15:17 to Paris and actresses like Isabelle Adjani in Diane de Poitiers.
Lucas Bravo as Gabriel
Lucas Bravo plays Gabriel, a charming chef and Emily’s love interest. They don’t act upon their attraction, however, until the end of Season 1. By Season 2, Gabriel has opened his own restaurant in Paris, but his love life is still extremely complicated. He tries to do right by Camille but remains enamored with Emily. He remains so loyal to her that he even quells Emily’s new love interest Alfie’s worries about the nature of their relationship. Though he lets Camille move in with him, it’s clear that he only has eyes for Emily.
Though Lucas Bravo was virtually unknown to American audiences before Emily in Paris, he is quickly becoming a staple of romantic comedies with his role as the charming accountant in Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris and his part as Julia Roberts and George Clooney’s future son-in-law in Ticket to Paradise.
Lucien Laviscount as Alfie
Lucien Laviscount plays Alfie, a 30-year-old British banker that Emily meets in her French class in Season 2. Like her, he refuses to fully adapt or immerse himself in the culture. Emily initially does not like him but when they are assigned a class project together, their relationship begins to heat up. Alfie even strikes up a friendship with Gabriel, though he does not know about the history between the two. When he begins to grow suspicious, both of them deny their feelings. Alfie trusts her so much that he proposes that he and Emily commit to each other, even though he has to leave for London.
Lucien Laviscount enjoyed several guest appearances in American TV shows for years but got his big break as Earl Grey in the first season of Scream Queens. Since then, he has appeared in the television adaptation of Snatch as well as on Katy Keene.
Samuel Arnold as Julien
Samuel Arnold plays Julien, an employee at Savoir who initially clashed with Emily. Ultimately however, he becomes friends with her and supplies her with all the hottest gossip in the company and the city. Emily in Paris is the first English language role for Samuel Arnold who has previously enjoyed success primarily on French TV shows like Platane.
Bruno Gouery as Luc
Bruno Gouery plays Luc, an employee at Savoir who often works hand in hand with Julien to make fun of Emily. Though, he shows her much more sympathy and offers her advice during her period of extreme hazing. Bruno Gouery works primarily in the French film industry but has also worked on English language productions like Rose Island. He is most known for his roles in Doc Martin.