“Emily in Paris” has received a little bit of flak for not being an accurate portrayal of French and American culture.
“Emily in Paris” is inarguably one of the most popular shows on Netflix.
It tells the story of Emily Cooper, a bright-eyed young American girl who moves to Paris from Chicago and tries her best to find her own way in the world.
The show’s fictional storyline has caught the attention of many fans worldwide, and it’s also received a little bit of backlash for highlighting French stereotypes, such as Parisians who love to smoke cigarettes and are more accepting of affairs than Americans.
When asked if Season Three’s storyline will give a more accurate portrayal of French culture, Samuel Arnold, who plays Julian in the program, tells TODAY.com that no one should take the show seriously because it is a “fictional series.”
“I don’t think (‘Emily in Paris’) should have the pressure to depict down to a tee the city or the way that certain people behave and stuff like that,” he explained at the “Emily in Little Paris” Activation event in New York City. “And I don’t even think that those characters are representing the French or the Americans. They’re just characters.”
“And when we work on those characters, we work from their characteristics and not from their nationality,” the “Platane” actor adds.
Arnold attended the Big Apple event with his castmates, Bruno Gouery (Luc), Lucien Laviscount (Alfie) and William Abadie (Antoine) before he went to the special screening of Season Three of “Emily In Paris” at The French Consulate General in New York.
Abadie, who agrees with Arnold, notes that the storyline of “Emily in Paris” should only be taken with a pinch of salt.
Having worked on “Sex and the City” and “…And Just Like That,” he knows that “the New York Manhattan life is not exactly as Carrie and Samantha and the gals were experiencing it.”
“I think it’s a bit of the same in ‘Emily.’ It’s a little bit of a fairy tale version of Paris, of the provisions of the French and in the end, a little bit of a comedic one at that,” he says.
During the roundtable discussion, Abadie also talked about his work on all three shows and said it’s been amazing getting to work with “Emily in Paris” “Sex and the City” and “…And Just Like That” creator Darren Star time and time again.
“It’s fantastic,” he says. “And I think Darren is my angel a little bit, so I’m very lucky.”
“Emily in Paris” Season Three will premiere on Netflix on Wednesday, Dec. 21.
