Stylist’s Madeleine Bourne sat down for a virtual chat with the Emily In Paris star to glean all her Netflix secrets and French beauty wisdom… 

Considering the fact that French actress Camille Razat happens to, you know, be a leading lady in the Netflix behemoth that is Emily In Paris, I expected her ‘I made it’ moment to be of shiny, red carpet fanfare status. The day she met an actor she’s long admired or a night attending a star-studded ceremony, maybe. Plot twist: it involves a little more down-to-earth realism than that.

Which is something of a surprise because the latest season of Emily In Paris ranked No 1 on the Netflix Global Top 10 when it premiered in August, garnering 19.9 million views in the first four days of airing.

But Camille’s ‘moment’? “It’s pretty silly, but the day the first season aired, I remember waking up and logging straight onto Instagram and I’m like, ‘What?’ Seeing how many people instantly followed me because of the series – that was crazy.”

And this is what strikes me as I sit down over Teams with the actress/model/producer and advocate for premium it-brand, Authentic Beauty Concept: Camille is true to her roots. She delightfully shows up as herself and is a breath of fresh air.

We have a candid discussion about everything, from insider beauty tips (such as, surprisingly, coating your hair in a common kitchen condiment) to behind-the-scenes secrets from Emily In Paris – including one that will leave Gabriel fans quaking…

When prepping for the interview, being a sartorially-obsessed awkward Brit with a distinct lack of that elusive je ne sais quoi, there was a strong temptation to mine Camille for all her throw-on-and-look-chic French wisdom. But I had an inkling this approach would miss the mark and I was right: she has a strong moral sense and shows up authentically in everything she does, whether that’s in work, her style or her approach to all things beauty.

So, instead I ask her if the French cliché of beauty (that pillar box red lip and ooh-la-la loose wave) is one she’s keen to put an end to.

“Because it’s a cliché, I guess that means it’s partially true, right?” she muses. “But I would add that French beauty isn’t just one way. France is a country where people come from everywhere and I love that – our approach to beauty is very versatile.

“I think what’s special about French beauty, perhaps, is that we dare to be ourselves without shouting about it – without putting on too much make-up or wearing too many colours. We dare to be simple.”

And when it comes to taking her passion for fashion and beauty on-screen in Emily In Paris, it’s a joy to find out that real-life Camille’s trademark authenticity has had such an influence on her character (also, serendipitously, called Camille).

“My personality has definitely influenced Camille (the character’s) style. I worked really closely with Marylin Fitoussi (the costume designer on Emily In Paris) as it was important to me to put new designers in the spotlight.

“I approached the styling for Emily In Paris as a character in itself and as Camille’s character evolved with the storyline, I wanted to go to a more vulnerable, darker place with the fashion. Her style and make-up are getting edgier, bolder and darker, and I love it.”

Of course, it would be remiss not to ask Camille for some behind-the-scenes secrets about all things Emily In Paris – and I was preparing for a tight-lipped, PR-friendly response. Delightfully, she was all too willing to share.

Her favourite BTS memory from Season 4? “Shooting with Lily (Collins) for that scene in the pond was hilarious,” she smiles.

“Logistically, it was so difficult to film. We had to be properly parallel to each other in the pond and we were cry-laughing throughout as we kept not being able to get the shot, but Lily was so determined to make it work.

“We actually filmed half the scene in a pond and half of it in a pool, which made it even more insanely hilarious.”

As for where Camille (the character) goes next? “I have absolutely no clue – because they’re always writing the scripts so late,” she sighs. “But I can say that how things work is we’ll usually get scripts maybe two weeks before filming or something like that!”

“My hope for Camille is that, as her character evolves, she finds happiness. I hope she’s going to develop her gallery – I miss that aspect of her. And I hope, regarding the romantic aspect, she’s going to get back with Sophia rather than with Gabriel. I think Sophia is the right match for her.”

On that Netflix bombshell, back to beauty: what are Camille’s go-to hero products? As part of her work as an advocate for Authentic Beauty Concept she’s proud to say she uses their haircare products daily.

“It’s important to me that Authentic Beauty Concept is a vegan, eco-friendly brand. I’ve been using products from their Glow line for a year now and my hair is completely different. The products offer so much hydration and bring shine and volume, which is key because I’ve got coloured hair.

“I also love ABC’s dry shampoo – because it leaves no white powder after spraying, which is a game-changer.”

But, in true Camille style, she also has some unorthodox beauty advice. In fact, her life-saving hair tip? Condiment-related.

“If you’ve got bleached hair, you’re travelling a lot and you want to stop the green tinge from coming through, my biggest tip is to use ketchup,” she confides.

“It’s gross. It smells bad. But because it’s red and because of the tomato, it will get into your hair and neutralise the green aspect.”

So with that, I let Camille get back to a busy afternoon of writing and directing her next film. She’s definitely made it.

I’m off to coat my hair in ketchup.