Emily In Paris, which became quite a hot topic after its first season last year, returns to Netflix for round two on December 22. Viewers will soon find what a predicament Emily (Lily Collins, Mank) is in, as her friend Camille (Camille Razat, The Accusation) is determined to make things work with the very same boyfriend that Emily has fallen for. Thankfully, her other close friend Mindy (Ashley Park, Tales of The City) has moved in and is helping make sense of a convoluted romantic mess.
But relationships aren't the only thing on the rocks in season 2. Emily must be quick on her feet to help Camille's family business hit the ground running, and neither her recent betrayal nor the antics of Camille's father make that any easier. Meanwhile, Mindy is doing her best to pursue her dreams of music, but a lack of money and a host of visa issues make that dream seem even further out of reach than before.
The fabulous ladies of Emily In Paris sat down with Screen Rant to chat about how the power of friendship and fashion help them push through in the show's second season.
At the start of the season, Emily is at a crossroads. She likes Gabriel, but then she also likes Camille, and she cannot have both. What is that like for her?
Lily Collins: It's a predicament. It's a sticky situation. But honestly, I think throughout the season, we get to see Emily become more comfortable and confident within Paris itself and therefore within herself in the city. Not only that, but having Mindy as her roommate, to be able to talk to and vent to and cry with and laugh with, really helps solidify her perspective on the situation and the pros and cons.
Because she wears her emotions on her sleeve, and she's a really good moral person, I think she's able to kind of put aside the romance with Gabriel because of her friendship with Camille. Camille says, "It's off the table. You can't do this." And she's like, "Okay, great. I've been given the go ahead to not [do this], and now I can move on."
That's when Alfie comes into play. And then it obviously has its ups and downs and tricky bits, as it would for the show. But I think, deep down, Emily just is a good person who truly values her friendships. And she's just like any person experiencing a new situation, so she's just got to go with the flow and figure it out in the moment.
Camille, not only do you have to deal with your boyfriend and friend doing whatever they're doing, but Emily is still responsible for Champère and the future of your family's company. Can you talk about maneuvering that situation?
Camille Razat: Yeah, I think Camille is a businesswoman, so she doesn't mix her personal life. Or she tries [not] to with her job. She wants her family to be successful and the brand to be successful, so she's kind of separated or compartmented the two: the private life and the job.
But also, she's a little bit mad at Emily, of course. She's not so nice to her while they're doing meetings, but she tries to separate job and private life.
Ashley, I love Mindy's storyline this season. I'm glad that we get to hear your fabulous voice all the more and explore the aspirational, artistic side of her life. Can you talk about the jobs she takes on this season?
Ashley Park: Yeah, I love that: the aspirational, artistic side. I think she's really come into [her own. She has a very fluctuating identity, and she's realizing how lost she is a bit - which is all the more fun especially, when you now have a really good home and friend in a place that was foreign to you.
I think that we just get to see a lot more of a different spectrum of emotion from her, as she's thrust into these situations where she doesn't really know what to do either. In season 1, we see a lot of her helping Emily navigate situations that she's never been in and a culture that she's never been a part of. This season, we kind of see her softer side with more personal and background and internal stuff going on. And that's all with the foil of having a friend there to be able to open up to for the first time.
Lily, I love Emily's outfits. I think they're so unique and awesome. How much say do you have in that, and what does it say about her that she dresses like this?
Lily Collins: I love the fact that Emily is unapologetically herself. Her personality and her fashion is bright, bold, bubbly and a little bit obvious - and it's always fun to see what Patricia [Field] and Marilyn [Fitoussi] have in store. For every episode we do hours long fittings, as do these women here, which are just always like a kid in a candy shop picking and choosing different things.
But both of them are incredibly collaborative. They put together ideas, but then they just say, "What sticks out to you? What do you want to wear? What do you feel good in?" And then every outfit is chosen specifically for different scenes, based on the emotion. There's so many underlying elements to each outfit, and the metaphorical nature of what is on the outfits and the layering. There's so much that goes into it that not everyone's gonna know from just watching it, but we feel it.
And the attention to detail makes a world of difference, being able to go into your wardrobe in the morning and have things laid out. And choices: we are given choices every day, like what jewelry you want to wear. Ashley brings her own sometimes; Camille has introduced new designers to the show and brought in smaller brand or bigger brands and vintage pieces.
We all are so incredibly grateful to have the voice within our characters too. Because when you put your outfit on, you feel different, and then you represent your character differently. For all of us to have a say is really empowering.
All 10 episodes of Emily In Paris will premiere on Netflix December 22.