‘Emily in Paris’ Boss Darren Star on What’s Next for Emily’s Romance in Season 4
[This story contains spoilers from Emily in Paris season four, Part 1.]
Emily in Paris finally gave viewers of the hit Netflix comedy something they’ve been waiting for since the show premiered in 2020…
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Emily (Lily Collins) and Gabriel (Lucas Bravo) together.
The pair had been in a will-they-won’t-they back and forth for the last three seasons, and that hit a climax at the end of the first part of season four (which is releasing in two batches), when Gabriel and Emily tell each other how they feel about one another (and always have). However, when Camille (Camille Razat) reveals that she’s pregnant, it throws a wrench in their plans for a possible future — again.
The first five episodes of the fourth season picked up right where the previous season ended, with Emily and Alfie (Lucien Laviscount) broken up, and Gabriel and Camille determined to co-parent, despite not being together anymore. Camille got back together with her Greek lover, Sofia (Melia Kreiling), and Emily, Gabriel, Camille and Sofia found themselves in a quad of sorts.
With Camille officially out of the picture romantically for Gabriel, it finally makes way for the title character and her now-boyfriend to give their relationship a try, pleasing fans who have been rooting for these two since the pilot. However, they may not remain in blissful happiness for the rest of the season.
“The course of love never goes smoothly,” Emily in Paris creator Darren Star tells The Hollywood Reporter when talking about what’s to come. “There’ll be unexpected obstacles, but more than that, I think as they really get to know each other, they sort of see each other less as fantasies. The infatuation period is over, and it’s about being more realistic about who they are.”
Below, the showrunner also opens up about Sylvie’s (Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu) #MeToo moment, why Gabriel was thrilled about not getting his Michelin star, how Camille not actually being pregnant will play a part in the final five episodes and more.
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How did you decide where to cut Part 1 and begin Part 2?
I knew where the story was going. But when I was asked by Netflix to break the season into two parts, I thought, “All right, how can I create a nice, mid-season finale that would feel like a season finale?” So I just directed all the storylines to kind of heat up and reach their boiling point at the end of episode five. So, in a way, creatively, it was helpful, because it gave me a real North Star in terms of where we were going and how these storylines were all colliding and reaching their breaking points.
We finally get a glimpse at an actual relationship between Emily (Lily Collins) and Gabriel (Lucas Bravo). Why was now the right time for them to explore that more thoroughly than they have in the past?
We’ve been waiting a long time. I don’t think we could wait any longer. It was also a hard decision for Emily to make. It was this whole process that she had to go through, and I love being able to give the two of them, Gabriel and Emily, a moment of enjoying, finding and having the romance they’ve always dreamed of having together, and they get to have it.
As happy as I am to see them together, I’m also waiting for the other shoe to drop. What can you say me about that?
Keep waiting. The course of love never goes smoothly. I think there’ll be unexpected obstacles. But more than that, I think as they really get to know each other, they see each other less as fantasies. The infatuation period is over, and it’s about being more realistic about who they are. Like any relationship, you have your romantic fantasy period, and then you have reality. So, I think that’s the process they’re going through. It doesn’t mean that they’re gonna fall out of love. But they have to sort of confront the realities of who they really are.
It was so interesting for Julien (Samuel Arnold) to leave Agence Grateau briefly. Why have that chapter for him, and then come back to where he started?
I think Emily came in and, he felt, stole his thunder a little bit, kind of stepped on it a little bit. He felt like she was unintentionally disrespecting him in some ways, because he has a little bit more seniority. But she has a tendency to speak up a lot, overstep her bounds, especially with Julien. He needed to really have a moment where he stands up for himself. I think, circumstantially, it wasn’t the best time, but I do feel like I think it was important for him to spread his wings, in a way, and establish his own value to himself.
So Sylvie (Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu) either contributes or starts a #MeToo movement tied to Louis de Leon (Pierre Deny). Talk to me about that in the storyline.
The seeds of that were explored in season three when they had lunch, and she referenced this moment between them and that she was willing to ignore it if he would play ball with her a little bit. But in season four, there are circumstances that made Sylvie realize that this wasn’t something that was just in the past. It was still ongoing, and she has an opportunity to raise her voice. I think she was conflicted about it a little bit, because she’s not a character who likes to feel vulnerable, and she does, and I think she does it at the expense of her personal and professional life to a degree. But it wasn’t something that was just invented for this season, it was something that’s been thought out since last season as something that we would learn further about this season.
Marianne (Laurence Gormezano) played a bigger part in Part 1 then in past seasons. Why elevate her here?
I love that character. I really do. You’re the first person that’s brought her up. I just think she’s hilarious. That whole storyline just kind of made me laugh. Luc [Bruno Gouery] makes his life richer [with her]. It was something that was always in my mind about how that story would play out with her. The restaurant’s a big part of Gabriel’s life, and it still continues to be.
I was really surprised by Gabriel being so thrilled that he wasn’t getting a Michelin star. I think people were expecting him to be devastated, and he’s now here throwing a party. How did that come to be?
He was spending so much time working for this validation that once the pressure was off, he realized that he didn’t need it to be happier, to sort of define himself and validate himself, that he sort of had so much that he didn’t need to have this pastry chef that he despised. He didn’t have to keep jumping through all these hoops. He realized that he did have everything he wanted already, and he didn’t need the Michelin star to validate him. It suddenly didn’t mean as much.
One of the biggest reveals of part one is that Camille isn’t actually pregnant. How can you tease how that’s going to play out in Part 2?
It will play out, and I think it’s something that, like the character herself, is very shocking. I think she’s put in a situation of feeling like she certainly never meant to deceive anybody, and she’s pretty devastated about it. So it does play out in a way that affects everybody’s relationship in part two.
The pregnancy also led to Camille and Sofia (Melia Kreiling) breaking up. Can we expect to potentially see her again in Part 2?
I don’t know. You have to see part two. (Laughs.)
Fans were hoping to see a Samantha Jones [Kim Cattrall’s Sex and the City character] cameo in Emily in Paris after she attended the past premiere.
I don’t think we’ll ever literally see Samantha Jones on Emily in Paris. I think that’s a crossover that I’m not sure can actually happen. But look, I adore Kim Cattrall. I’m a huge fan of hers, and I would love to find a wonderful way for her to be on the show. It’s not about being Samantha Jones. She’s a terrific actress. She can step into a lot of different roles.
I mean, she’s in London. It’s not that far from Paris…
I know. Believe me, I wish it could happen. Call HBO for me.
Emily in Paris hasn’t been renewed for a fifth season yet. But, how much longer do you see yourself mapping out these characters?
Well, let’s see how long they want us for. To me, great characters on a great series are like, I have a hard time letting go and saying goodbye. They always take you places. If you look at Sex and the City [which was created by Star], It’s still happening 25 years later.
Emily in Paris season four, Part 1 is streaming on Netflix now. Part 2 hits the streamer Sept. 12.
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