Yahoo Finance Emily in Paris Star Lily Collins Says 'Diversity and Inclusion' Is a Focus of Season 2
The upcoming sophomore season of Emily in Paris features more diversity and inclusion, according to star Lily Collins.
In a cover interview for the December issue of ELLE UK, which hits stands Thursday, Collins opened up about how the response to the first season of the Netflix show helped shape season 2, premiering in December.
"For me as Emily, but also as a producer on [the show], after season one, hearing people's thoughts, concerns, questions, likes, dislikes, just feelings about it, there were certain things that spoke to the time that we're living in and what's right, and moral and correct and should be done," said the actress, 32. "And [that was] something that I felt passionate about. [The producers] all believed in the same things."
ELLE UK/ DANNY KASIRYE
ELLE UK/ DANNY KASIRYE
Season 1 of Emily in Paris, created by Darren Star, premiered in October 2020, months into the COVID-19 pandemic. It followed Emily Cooper (Collins), a young woman from Chicago who gets the chance of a lifetime to live in Paris for a year and lend an American influence to the social media behind a French marketing firm.
Though some viewers enjoyed the show's romantic escapism and head-turning fashion moments, it also sparked debates over its cliché depiction of Paris and its people.
"I really wanted diversity and inclusion in front of and behind the camera to be something that we really put our focus on, in a lot of ways," Collins told ELLE UK. "Hiring new people in front of the camera, also giving new storylines to different characters, which was really important."
ELLE UK/ DANNY KASIRYE
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The actress, who married director Charlie McDowell in early September, didn't disclose further details in regards to storylines, but a recent teaser for season 2 sheds some light on the plot. In the clip, Emily and her friends are seen escaping Paris for a French coastal getaway. "No, I'll post it later," Emily says, clutching her phone. "I'm on vacation."
As for what shooting in Paris was like this time around, mid-pandemic, Collins told ELLE UK the the city "was very empty when I first got there."
"There weren't any Americans around because they weren't allowed," she said. "So that felt even more strange, because the only accents you would hear were French — which was also really lovely."
The isolation allowed Collins to feel like she was truly part of the city. "I definitely got to know it better this time around, just because I wasn't taking a lot of public transport because of regulations for filming," she said. "So I was walking a lot more. Charlie is great with directions and exploring and had marked places [to visit] all over Paris, even before I had the show. And so we were constantly walking and exploring. And, you know, our crew is all French. And so is most of our cast, except for Ashley [Park, who plays Mindy] and I. So you get to experience another side of Paris with them."
Season 2 of Emily in Paris premieres Dec. 22 on Netflix.
