Why are Emmanuel Macron and the mayor of Rome fighting for “Emily in Paris”?

“We will fight hard. And we will ask them to stay in Paris. Emily in Paris in Rome, it makes no sense,” saidEmmanuel Macron during an interview with Variety published this Wednesday. Words that Roberto Gualtieri, mayor of Rome, visibly took it as an affront. He sent a response to the French president through the magazine The Hollywood Reporter Roma in the process. Or how France and Italy came close to a diplomatic incident for a Netflix series…

On the one hand, the President of the Republic who intends to fight so thatEmily in Paris stay in Paris. In return, the mayor of Rome asks Macron to review the order of his priorities. “Dear Emmanuel Macron. Don’t worry, Emily is doing very well in Rome,” says the Italian on X (formerly Twitter), punctuating his message with a winking smiley. Near the The Hollywood Reporter Roma, Roberto Gualtieri adds: “Doesn’t President Macron have more urgent problems to resolve? There are, for example, two wars going on, in Ukraine and the Middle East, there is a horrible hurricane that hit America that is linked to climate change, and some other state issues in Europe for Macron who are more important than Emily, I imagine. »

The bone of contention: the relocation of the Netflix series to Rome. A few weeks ago, the creator of the series Darren Star, announced on the site Tumdu belonging to Netflix that season 5 ofEmily in Paris would take place in both Paris and Rome. In season four, the character of Lily Collins took a vacation in Rome and fell under the spell of the handsome Italian Marcello (Eugenio Franceschini). This new narrative arc appealed to the series team, which plans to continue Emily Cooper’s Roman adventure without making her move to Italy. “Emily will be present in Rome. That doesn’t mean she’s not going to be in Paris but she’s going to be present in Rome,” said Darren Star. Except that this sharing is not to everyone’s taste. And especially not that of President Macron.

The softpower d’Emily in Paris

But why all this fuss over a series? Because Emily in Paris is not just any one. Its success is global. Season four was number 1 on the overall Netflix rankings upon its release in August. It racked up almost 20 million views over the course of four days after it began streaming, and was in the Netflix top 10 in 93 countries for four consecutive weeks. Surfing on clichés, the series takes place in an idealized Paris where everyone is beautiful and rich. Suffice to say that the city could not hope for a better showcase, especially after the Covid pandemic. Barely two years after the end of this critical period, Paris was already returning to the same level of tourist attendance according to The World with a significant number of American visitors. The release of the first season ofEmily in Paris in 2020 could be seen as a godsend and President Macron undoubtedly fears a shortfall if the series had to move in the long term. He readily admits Variety : « Emily in Paris has positive returns in terms of attractiveness for the country. For my own business, this is a very good initiative. » On the other hand, the mayor of the Italian capital, aware of the positive repercussions of the American series, sees this potential relocation as an opportunity to be seized. From there to risk the diplomatic incident…

French President Emmanuel Macron on June 8, 2017 in Paris in front of the Elysée

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The Mayor of Rome Roberto Gualtieri on March 9, 2023 in Rome

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