Series insults the intelligence of viewers, says the French actor, who accuses the show of perpetuating ‘archaic’ stereotypes

The French have not always been kind to Emily in Paris. Le Figaro newspaper said the Netflix series was “dripping in clichés”, while Libération accused it of portraying the capital as a giant Disneyland.

Now a new critic has added his voice to Parisian disapproval of the series that features Lily Collins, the British-American actress in the lead role: her co-star.

Lucas Bravo, the French actor who plays Gabriel, the chef who is Emily’s part-time lover, has denounced the series as an unstimulating form of light entertainment revolving around his “archaic” relationship with Emily, which he says is far removed from his own dreams of artistic “freedom”.

Bravo has starred in four series of the show
MATT WINKELMEYER/GETTY IMAGES

His comments show that even in today’s world of global streaming platforms, cultural differences run deep between US television executives, who tend to consider entertainment as a virtue, and French artists viewing the concept as an affront to their higher ideals.

Having been propelled from anonymity to global recognition by his role in the first four series of Emily in Paris, Bravo, 36, suggested he might not be involved in the fifth.

“Life is short. It takes five months to shoot this series. Do I want to sacrifice them by telling something that does not stimulate me?”

In an interview with Le Figaro, he added: “I do not want to be a part of a cog that does not tend to take the intelligence of viewers into consideration.”

Bravo, the son of a French international footballer, has several gripes with the scriptwriters. Portrayed as a chef at a traditional French restaurant in the series, he suggested that his character should open a vegan establishment. The request was turned down, perhaps not surprisingly, given that veganism is scarcely an intrinsic part of a French culinary culture largely based around red meat that is usually served rare.

The actor also objected to his on-off affair with Emily, which has been more off than on in recent episodes, with the heroine having started a liaison with an Italian.

Bravo attends the series 4 premiere of Emily in Paris in Los Angeles
KRISTA SCHLUETER FOR NETFLIX

Bravo said the concept was rooted in a “1990s idea that lovers pull apart, kiss [and] pull apart again”. He said: “Everything is based on a lack of communication. It’s a bit archaic. Today, the new generation expresses [its emotions] and confronts [them]. I would like [Gabriel] to rediscover a bit of panache.”

Bravo’s career has taken off since he got the role in Emily in Paris and he is now starring in Libre, a French film about an armed robber to be released next month on Amazon Prime.

He suggested that this was enabling him to fulfil ambitions loftier than Emily in Paris. The series was “good entertainment, an escape”, he said. “But I feel the need to make people understand the tale I am telling.

“I don’t really have any freedom [in Emily in Paris] and as people are starting to give it to me elsewhere, I am getting a taste for it.”