Catching up with Wonderland from his new home in Los Angeles, the French actor reflects on stepping back into the role of Julien for Netflix’s beloved rom-com.

Emily in Paris, over and out? Not quite. As our favourite American readies herself for another ambitious, couture-infused European tour — this time taking on Rome in the recently confirmed Season 5 — we’re still relishing the aftermath of Season 4. In our humble opinion, it might just be her best yet — and Samuel Arnold agrees. Reprising his role as fellow agence Grateau marketeer Julien, the French actor chats with Wonderland about all things Emily, all things Paris, and beyond. From his artistic upbringing to landing the life-changing role, and what’s in store for his fan-favourite character, keep reading…

Hi Samuel, thanks so much for chatting with us. Where are you based today? How’s summer treating you?
I’m in Los Angeles. I just moved here, actually. I’m very good — I love the weather, obviously.

Season 4 of Emily in Paris is finally here. What are your expectations for the release?
I’m looking forward to the show coming out. I think it’s the best season so far, especially for my character. So, we’re all very excited.

And so are we! To start things off, I’d love to hear a bit about your creative upbringing. When did you first fall in love with acting?
Well, I’ve always been in love with art in general, ever since I was little. I started with dancing — out of the blue, I just knew how to dance. So, I’ve been dancing my entire life, all the time. I became a dance teacher very young, and then a professional dancer and toured all over France. I did a lot of drawing, music, and rapping. When it came to starting my studies, I was like, “I want to be an actor”. So, I went to an acting school and then moved to London for 10 years, until I recently moved to Los Angeles. And yeah, I got trained there as an actor. And the rest is still ongoing, I guess.

What inspired the change to LA? Have you had enough of the British weather?

It’s a combination of things. It was a little dream of mine when I was a kid, watching Hollywood movies and stuff like that. Then it started to make more sense for my career. But above all, it’s about the lifestyle. I really wanted something brand new and fresh, and I’m enjoying it so far.

And how did Emily in Paris come about? Do you remember your first reactions to Julien and the script?

I remember it like it was yesterday. It was in 2019, I think. I was living in London, and I had to go back to Paris to audition. I had an agent in Paris, and they were casting in Paris, so I had to go back. I auditioned once, and when I saw the script — I had never said this for a role, and I’ll probably never say it again — I read the script and thought, “Oh wow, this is so far from me”. I knew I’d have to work a bit on that one. But once I finished working and created the character, I thought, “I’m going to get this role, and if I don’t, I want to see the person who did, because I’m killing it”. It was the first time I felt like that about a character. I got called back, so I had to go back to Paris, but when I arrived, no one was replying to me. I was in Paris, but no one would see me. No one replied. So, I was stranded in Paris. At the time, I was a kitchen chef, so I had to take days off at the restaurant to take an eight-hour bus ride to Paris — for no reason, it seemed. So I went back to London. The following week, they called me back and explained that the reason no one had seen me was that they didn’t want to do it via Zoom; they wanted to be in the room with me. So, I did my callback with Darren Star in the room, and it went really well. Then they gave me the job.

Tell me a bit about Julien. What challenged you most about this character?
Julien is the complete opposite of me. We couldn’t be more different, although I do feed the character with everything that comes from me. It’s about exploring different aspects of myself, but this is a way I’ve never presented myself, and I had never explored before. From the voice to the way I move, to the way I create his facial expressions — I had to change everything. At the end of the day, it’s just my job, to be fair. But it took a lot to convince people that I am this person and to make it as authentic as possible without turning him into a cliché. Characters with big personalities can often fall into stereotypes, and I really didn’t want that to happen with him. And I think we’ve done well so far.

Now, almost four seasons in, you must understand this character very well. How would you say you connect most with him?
Julien’s story obviously serves the larger story, which is Emily’s journey in Paris. But he has his own journey, and I think that’s his story — navigating what it means to be a young man who looks like him and lives the way he does, in a marketing firm surrounded by people who don’t necessarily look like him. He’s trying to make it big, just as I’m trying to make it big as an actor in an industry that is as challenging for me as it might be for him as a marketing executive. I think it’s a beautiful story that Darren [Star] lets unfold in a way that doesn’t necessarily address these things directly, but you feel it between the lines. And he does this with many characters, like Philippine’s [Leroy-Beaulieu, who plays Sylvie] character. It’s about what it means to be a woman of a certain age, but it doesn’t mean you’re not sexy, powerful, or beautiful. In fact, it’s the opposite. I think that’s the same for Julien: what does it mean to be him, going through his journey?

For sure, and this season definitely feels like he’s ready to spread his wings and do his own thing. I’ve only watched three episodes, but we already see the start of that. How was it for you, exploring this process of giving him space and freedom?
That was great because it felt very organic. There are things Julien does and says in Season 4 that he would never have dared in Season 1. He’s taking more and more power, becoming bolder. He’s defending himself as much as he can, because he feels wronged. So, there’s this sense of justice coming into play in Season 4, and he’s putting himself first, all while being fashionable, sassy, funny, and fighting for his career.

Fashionable is the word! He really has an amazing wardrobe. I was curious: was fashion part of your life growing up? Is it one of your interests?
Yes, it’s funny because dressing up and fashion have always been part of my life. I’ve always had an artistic view of things and was always a bit nerdy as well, so I would dress in ways inspired by things I saw on TV or music I listened to, or just because it looked cool. I was never a big fan of brands, but I’ve always been a big fan of clothes. Playing Julien has merged the two — I’ve started learning about brands because of him, and now I’m having fun with it all.

And talking about Paris, what’s your relationship with the city? How does it feel being back to film? Do you think the show expresses the real essence of the city in any way?
You know what I think? I think the show doesn’t lie, unless it’s a lie by omission, as we say in French. It shows you a Paris, but it’s not the entirety of Paris. We can’t pretend to capture such a beautiful city in a 30-minute episode — no one can do that. The show isn’t a documentary; it’s a fantasy, and it represents 1% or 0.1% of Paris. I’ve lived in Paris my whole life and been to the Eiffel Tower twice — once as a kid and the second time to shoot a scene for Emily in Paris. Locals don’t live the life Emily does because they’re not tourists in their own city. The Paris of Emily is the Paris of someone who comes from outside, has money, and is surrounded by luxury — and that’s what we like to watch.

And lastly, I’d love to hear about your expectations for the release and what excites you most about this new chapter?
First of all, I can’t wait for the audience to see it. People have been following us for five years, four seasons now. I’m really curious to see the impact the series will have, because it has become part of the culture — almost pop culture now. I was in a store earlier and saw macarons branded with Emily in Paris. It’s crazy. I feel like this season is the biggest and best yet, but I can’t predict what people will think of it, so I’m super excited to find out.