Star of Netflix show would gladly swap Eiffel Tower for Big Ben with spin-off to new European destination.
The star of Emily in Paris could soon be trading her daily croissants for fish and chips if she gets her wish and the show relocates to London.
British-born actress Lily Collins, 35, who was raised in Los Angeles, has revealed she is keen for the popular Netflix series to feature a spin-off in the British capital.
Speaking after her West End debut on Wednesday night, Collins said: “I hope Emily comes to London. I’ve been pitching that, I’m like, ‘She wants to go to Big Ben!’”
The actress, daughter of musician Phil Collins, told the Evening Standard that she had been “following all the theories” that fans had been speculating about for her character’s next destination.
It comes after the series, which remains one of the most watched shows on the platform, was renewed by the streaming giant for season five.
The show follows Emily Cooper, an American living in the French capital, as she navigates life, work and romance, invariably while wearing preposterously high-fashion outfits.
The finale of the last season saw Collins seeking new job prospects and romance in Rome and creators have since said that the next one will play out between the two transalpine cousins.
Darren Star, the creator and showrunner, insisted that the heroine would have “a presence” in Italy because she was “becoming very comfortable in Paris”.
He said: “I wanted to throw her into some unfamiliar waters.”
However, Emmanuel Macron, the French president, has insisted that he will “fight hard” to keep the series in his country.
It has been a boon to the economy since it first aired in 2020, bringing hordes of tourists to Paris that have boosted trade and resulted in increased inquiries to estate agents in the capital.
A study this year, conducted for France’s National Centre for Cinema and Animation, found that more than one third (38 per cent) of tourists cited Emily in Paris among their reasons for visiting the city.
Mr Macron told Variety magazine earlier this month: “We will fight hard. And we will ask them to remain in Paris! Emily in Paris in Rome doesn’t make sense.
“Emily in Paris is super positive in terms of attractiveness for the country. It’s a very good initiative.”
His wife, Brigitte, had a cameo appearance in the latest season, where she meets Emily during a chance encounter in a restaurant and tells her she follows her Instagram.
The president said he was “super proud” of her involvement, adding: “She was very happy to do it. It’s just a few minutes, but I think it was a very good moment for her.”
However, the Emmy-nominated Collins has opened a new unlikely political front to the Italy-France diplomatic standoff by suggesting she would prefer to take her character to London.
Speaking after her performance in Bess Wohl’s new play, Barcelona, the actress told the BBC that a spin-off in the British capital “would be so fun”.
She said: “[Emily] would definitely go to Portobello Road and buy some antiques, obviously visit Big Ben and toy shop Hamleys.
“She would also definitely try and get into Buckingham Palace,” she added, explaining that Emily would love to have tea with the monarch and would “try and get the guards to smile, but I’m not sure she’d be able to do that”.
Collins herself has moved to London for the duration of her West End performance in the play Barcelona, which runs until Jan 11 at the Duke of York’s Theatre.
The romantic thriller sees Collins play an American tourist who has a one-night stand with a Spaniard and also stars Money Heist’s Álvaro Morte.
