“I definitely grew up loving that movie, Hilary Duff, Lizzie Mcguire, so I was very proud that Emily Cooper would make that reference,” Collins tells PEOPLE.

Filming in Rome is what dreams are made of for Lily Collins!

The actress spoke to PEOPLE at the premiere of season 4 part 2 of Emily in Paris, which stars Collins as Emily, to talk about her character’s Italian escapades. Collins — who was wearing a gold Schiaparelli dress that she referred to as “my bold Roman statue moment” — also explains who came up with the memorable Lizzie McGuire mention.

“I sadly can’t take credit for that line but I found it to be one of the more genius lines of the season,” she says. “I definitely grew up loving that movie, Hilary Duff, Lizzie Mcguire, so I was very proud that Emily Cooper would make that reference.”

In episode 9, after Emily escapes Paris for Rome for “an adventure” following Gabriel’s confession of his love for her, Emily and Roman local Marcello (Eugenio Franceschini) visit the Trevi Fountain. Looking at the famous site, Emily likens it to fiction.

“I’ve seen so much of this city in movies, I feel like I’ve been here already,” she tells her Italian beau.

“You mean like La Dolce Vita?” he questions.

“I was thinking more like The Lizzie McGuire movie,” she replies in all seriousness.

Marcello remarks, “Huh, I don’t know that one,” to which Emily jokes, “We’ll save that for your cultural education.”

Darren Star, the creator of Emily in Paris, also tells PEOPLE on the red carpet why he chose Rome as the setting for part 2 of season 4. Noting that he “wanted to expand the footprint of the show” and “broaden out the universe,” Star says Emily’s international journey contributes to the depth of her story.

“Also, Rome to me is like the other great romantic city in Europe, and it’s a bit of a yin and yang to Paris,” Star says. “And also the story took us here. You know, Italy is — just like France — sort of known for fashion, design, style, in a different way.”

In addition to Lizzie McGuire, Star explains that Emily was channeling her inner Audrey Hepburn in all of part 2.

They were “definitely sort of inspired by [Hepburn] and referencing and all that,” he says. “Throughout the show, and not just in Italy, but in Megève, [France] in the Alps, we sort of nod to Charade, her outfit in Charade. It was fun.”

As for another season, Star remains mum on what could come next for Emily and her friends — Gabriel (Lucas Bravo), Mindy (Ashley Park), Camille (Camille Razat) and Alfie (Lucien Laviscount).

“There are some ideas,” he teases. “It’s really a fun story to keep telling.”