I can’t think of anyone more perfect than Lucas Bravo to portray Gabriel in Emily in Paris. And now, the 36-year-old actor just revealed the role of Gabriel originally went to another actor.

In an interview with People, Bravo admitted that he became attached to the role throughout the audition process, which lasted several months. At first, he didn’t get the part because he didn’t have enough experience. So, he booked a flight to France where he stayed on the remote island of Corsica.

“I wanted to be in a place where there’s no service, and I could just talk to birds, so to speak,” he said.

Courtesy of Netflix

At one point, Bravo retrieved his cell phone to help a stranger. He explained, “A hiker came by and he was like, ‘Can I borrow your phone? I really need to call my daughter.’”

When the hiker returned the phone, he commented on Bravo’s popularity. “He told me, ‘Your phone was vibrating left and right when I got service, so you should check it out,’” the actor added. “‘And I was like, ‘No, no, no. I’m here to forget this Emily in Paris thing.’”

Bravo continued, “And in the morning, I woke up like, ‘I should take a look at it.’ It was the casting director telling me, ‘Where are you?’”

STEPHANIE BRANCHU/NETFLIX

The actor learned that someone else got the part of Gabriel (or so it seemed)—however, there were other roles they wanted him to audition for. So, he returned to Paris and did an on-camera chemistry read with Lily Collins (who plays Emily).

“Lily is very generous,” he explained. “When you dive into her eyes, it’s really easy to be connected to her.”

The next day, he received the good news: “You are starting in two days.”

Phew, that was close.