Is there water in the gas between Netflix and Lucas Bravo, the interpreter of the talented chef Gabriel in “Emily in Paris”? The actor does not mince his words about the series recently renewed for a season 5.
In 2020, Netflix subscribers discovered Emily in Paris for the first time, the new series from Sex and the City creator Darren Star. The pitch? The adventures of an American woman passionate about fashion and marketing in the French capital. Cliché but adorably endearing, the series allowed international audiences to meet Lucas Bravo.
For four years, the French actor has played Gabriel on screen, talented chef and neighbor of the heroine played by Lily Collins who ends up falling under his spell. If we can speak of a real romance between the spectators and the series since the beginning of the adventure, the 36-year-old actor today expresses his disillusionment.
“I really distanced myself from him”
In an interview given to the American media IndieWire as part of his promotion of the film Libre (to be seen on November 1 on Prime Video), Lucas Bravo does not mince his words on the direction taken by the Netflix series and the writing of his character:
“In season 1, there was a lot of me in him. But from the moment they made him ignorant of what's going on around him, always victimizing himself and being manipulated by everyone world, it became a little less fun for me to film or see a character that I love so much and who gave me so much, being slowly transformed into guacamole. I really distanced myself from him.
It must be said that in the space of four seasons, the character of Gabriel has lost his panache and his brilliance, living only in Emily's shadow and waiting for only one thing: for her to return in his arms.
If his wish came true in season 4, the young man was at the same time fooled by Camille. Before having her heart broken by the American, in a very (too?) tearful scene. What his interpreter regrets:
“I've tried for seasons to bring nuance, but we don't have a lot of freedom on set. We can't change a word or an emotion. They know what they want and we have to conform to it. This makes me wonder if I want to be part of season 5. […] because my contract ends in season 4.
I really want to see if Gabriel will become funny, cheeky, cheerful and lively again. Because three seasons of playing someone melancholic, sad, depressed and lost, it's no longer funny. It’s a comedy, everyone around me is having fun, everyone is jumping around, and I’m slowly sinking into God knows what.”
“There is a lack of risk”
If Emily in Paris is the series that everyone hates but secretly adores, it's because it is the product “guilty pleasure” par excellence. We know what to expect from one season to another and we are happily served by her heroine who is completely out of step with reality: we watch her for her colorful outfits, her incredible love stories, for her vision of Paris and its beautiful decorations. A recipe that Netflix does not wish to change, as Bravo confirms:
“They're probably holding on to something that they haven't been able to measure and that's been so successful that they're now very concerned about not changing the recipe and keeping it the way it was. All that who could deviate from the road is carefully taken back. There are a lot of blows. No, false positive. No, I'm coming back. .
The second part of season 4, put online last September, greatly surprised us by moving the action to Italy and breaking the routine in which the series had settled. A welcome change of scenery and air which may not last in season 5, already announced. And that's a shame.
