Emily in Paris | The return of culture shock

Seen by 58 million viewers, the series Emily in Paris became Netflix’s most popular comedy of 2020. As the second season arrives on the platform on Wednesday, Press spoke with Lucas Bravo and Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu, two actors of the series.

Olivia levy
Press

Signed Darren Star, creator of Sex and the City, Emily in Paris recounts the adventures of Emily, a young American from Chicago who arrives in France to work in a luxury marketing agency. Emily, played by Lily Collins, lives in a postcard Paris that has been heavily criticized, as do the clichés of complaining and snobbish Parisians.

For this second season, the clash of cultures is still there, the French capital is even more splendid and Paris is the city of the love triangle that cannot be resolved. Lily meets Alfie, but continues to be seduced by her neighbor Gabriel, a chef played by Lucas Bravo who is not immune to the charms of the American.

“There is very often a love triangle in a group of friends, remarks Lucas Bravo, during a videoconference interview. There is always someone who secretly loves another person, but who is already in a relationship with a boyfriend… That’s it, love, attraction, it’s physical. ”

This series revealed the comedian who admits swimming in gratitude while keeping his feet on the ground. He laughs when told that many young women would love to have him next door!

The comparison with Sex and the City

American magazine Vanity Fair wrote that Gen X has Carrie and Mister Big, and Gen Y has Emily and Gabriel. “The couple of Emily and Gabriel will never be as iconic as Carrie and Mister Big. It’s another time, another dimension, but it’s very flattering as a comparison. I am fan of Sex and the City, but we have to be realistic, and I hope not to end up like Mister Big! Exclaims Lucas Bravo.

In the second season, creator Darren Star has a lot of fun with the cultural differences between France and the United States. “There is a colossal cultural difference between the French and the Americans. We see it in the series, but also on the set every day, ”observes Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu, who plays the nasty Sylvie, French patroness of Emily.

For this role, the actress says she was inspired by Parisiennes she met during her adolescence. “I grew up with a mom who worked in fashion and I saw women like Sylvie. It was easy to inspire me, but behind this armor of relentless women there is a great vulnerability, ”she said.

Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu thinks that there is, among Americans, a way of approaching life that is very different: Americans live to work while the French work to live! “We are bon vivant, it’s not all about money and profit! It’s very funny to see the American team arrive and to be confronted, just like the character of Emily, with differences. They love everything they eat here, even the filthy sandwiches. It’s much better than what they eat in the United States! She laughs.

Speaking of gastronomy, Lucas Bravo believes in modernizing the French cuisine of the series, which is very “old school” and in which he cooks guts. “Ouch, I’m a vegetarian! I have beliefs like Chef Gabriel and I will fight for him to become a vegetarian if there is a third season. ”

Cliches

And what about the clichés about Paris? For Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu, they constitute very interesting fields of exploration for the actors. “We have fun and we polish. Darren Star is not realism and he mocks the French as much as the Americans. The French don’t have a sense of humor! It makes me laugh. They don’t have second-degree reading, ”she notes. “I experienced culture shock when I arrived in Paris after having lived for years in Rome. Parisians are a special species. It’s a city that has a certain vanity, but with a little bit of red wine and a smile, all is well! », Laughs the actress.

Lucas Bravo thinks that everything is amplified to give a very romanticized side to the series. “A cliché arises from a truth, but the series is entertainment, everything is ridiculed,” he says. “Darren Star lived in Paris when he was a teenager, he speaks French and for him, the series is a real tribute to Paris. Lucas Bravo, 33, was born in Nice and has lived in Paris for 15 years now.

When asked about what Americans should learn from the French, the answer is clear: “More relaxation!” exclaims Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu. They are prisoners of moral rules, they are very politically correct. I like irreverence, I like people who are off the hook! Americans are either delusional or afraid for their reputation. ”

Lucas Bravo admires their very organized way of working. “It’s a well-oiled machine, we feel that we are very well surrounded, while in the French, it is a little more messy. ”

And what should the French learn from the Americans? “The sense of adventure! The Americans say yes to everything right away, which is great, because everything seems possible, all the time, ”concludes Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu.

Emily in Paris, season 2, starting Wednesday on Netflix.