Lily Collins Revealed Why She Separates Herself From Emily Cooper

Not everyone loves Lily Collins’ Emily in Paris character, Emily Cooper — as viewers made clear after Netflix introduced the romantic comedy-drama series in October 2020. In the years since, Collins has done her best to defend Emily and highlight her many positive qualities. Still, when she noticed a specific similarity between herself and Emily, the actor made a conscious effort to differentiate herself.

Ahead of Emily in Paris Season 4, Part 1, which debuts on Aug. 15, Collins spoke to InStyle about playing the bright-eyed go-getter. During the interview, Collins revealed that while filming the show’s first season, she told her now-husband, Charlie McDowell, that she shared Emily Cooper’s perfectionist traits and wanted to change that part of herself in real life.

“This idea of perfection, needing to just always feel ready to go, always feeling like your perfect self. That’s not how I want to live my life, especially at 35,” Collins said, before teasing that the show’s “messy” fourth season is one of “vulnerability” and “emotional breakdowns.”

The actor also revealed how playing Emily Cooper has transformed her sense of style. In the interview, Collins explained that her ex-boyfriend was critical of her fashion choices, which led to a “dull period” in which she avoided colorful or revealing clothing.

“I thought for a while that if you make yourself physically, with volume, appear bigger, then you’re taking up too much space,” she told InStyle, adding that Emily in Paris helped reignite her love of fashion.

“Emily, in a lovely way, takes up so much space,” she continued. “Mixing patterns and prints, textures, styles in a way that was foreign to me, I started to realize that I didn’t have to be afraid of color anymore.”

This isn’t the first time Collins has touched upon her ex-boyfriend and desire for perfection. In her 2017 memoir, Unfiltered: No Shame, No Regrets, Just Me, she got candid about her need to be “perfect for him.”

“I became a one-woman island, but not the strong and independent kind,” she wrote. “I was the definition of codependent. And worst of all: I became so scared that if I left him, I would have nothing. Be nothing.”

A “Messy” Emily In Paris Season 4

Netflix announced in May that Emily in Paris Season 4 would be split into two parts, both of which will premiere in late summer 2024. As mentioned, Part 1 will begin streaming on Aug. 15, while Part 2 will debut on Sept. 12.

It’s not a surprise that it will be “messy,” as Collins teased. Season 4 picks up after Emily’s dramatic breakup with Alfie (Lucien Laviscount), and sees her navigate a new dynamic with Gabriel (Lucas Bravo), who is fresh off his own split. Meanwhile, at the June 2023 Netflix Tudum event, Collins also teased that Emily will be jetting off to a new location in Season 4.

“Her life takes some unexpected twists this season,” she said. “Don’t be surprised to find her on a Roman holiday.”