Spoilers for Emily in Paris season 2 below.
Emily in Paris’s new heartthrob isn’t actually from Paris. In fact, he isn’t even from France. He’s from across the English Channel—London, where he was born and raised—and he doesn’t have much enthusiasm for the romantic City of Lights at all. When the serious, suited, football-loving banker winds up in Emily’s (Lily Collins) French class for work, the American transplant makes it her mission to change the British cynic’s mind about Paree. Naturally, sparks fly along the way. Bonjour, Alfie.
The actor who plays our new suitor, Lucien Laviscount, hails far from the city. He’s from the north of England, where he takes our Zoom call in a fitted black turtleneck. “It’s winter where I am,” he explains with a grin. He’s at his home base, “back down to grassroots,” spending time with family and friends for Christmas and New Year’s.
After a handful of British TV roles (including the right of passage Skins) and runs on FOX’s Scream Queens and The CW’s Katy Keene, Laviscount took a leap with Emily in Paris—not only because it was Netflix’s top comedy of 2020, but also because, like Emily and Alfie, he was a first-timer to the French capital too. But unlike his character, he was totally charmed. “I had one of the best years of my life and I’ve got to tip my hat to Paris,” he says. Here, the Brit talks to ELLE.com about joining the cast for a bigger and bolder second season and what could be in store for Emily and Alfie.
How do you plan to watch the new episodes of Emily in Paris? Will you be with your family when it comes out?
Honestly, as things have gone on in my career, I can never really watch myself. So I watch myself like this [covers his face with his hands], but there’s so much that goes behind it, especially with Emily in Paris, the crew and the cast are so amazing and everyone behind the scenes. Being a fan of the show, I’m so excited to watch it. I’m so excited for people to hopefully take to the show like they took to the first season and really appreciate it because everyone’s worked really, really hard on it. And I’m just super privileged and blessed to be a part of the second season.
STÉPHANIE BRANCHU/NETFLIX
Were you watching it from the beginning when it first dropped?
Oh, I binged the shit out of it, to be honest. Yeah. I’m a massive fan of Darren. Darren Star really is a star and he’s got this incredible way of making characters so full and so different, and they all just kind of melt together. And he’s got an amazing rhythm to the dialogue and all these things. So to watch Emily in Paris, I was like, “Wow, he’s just nailed it again.”
Gabriel’s character [played by Lucas Bravo] was a huge fan favorite in the first season. When you arrived in season two, were you nervous to play a character that would be kind of competing with him?
I never really saw it as competing. I think we’re all there to feed Emily’s storylines at the end of the day. I think Alfie brings a different edge to season two that people didn’t really get to see in season one. And people get to see a different side of Emily because of Alfie, and Alfie brings out this kind of naughty side to her where she’s not so much in control of everything and she just lets go. It’s just amazing to see that different dynamic. I’m glad that I play the character that gets to bring that out a little bit.
STÉPHANIE BRANCHU/NETFLIX
As a newcomer, what was it like meeting and getting to bond with the cast, as a group that had already been established since last season? What was your first day on set like?
Yeah, it’s not just like the new cast [member] of any season, it’s [for] a show of such magnitude. So it comes with a lot of nerves obviously, but responsibility ‘cause you wanna heighten what these guys have already just done and accomplished. Walking on set the first day was incredible. It starts from the top and it starts from Lily.
Lily’s an incredible artist and she’s so humble in who she is and she knows everyone on set by name and she treats everyone with a level of respect that trickles down to the rest of the cast and the rest of the crew. And then she lets you have fun. She creates a playground. She creates this amazing sandbox to be able to try new things and then to flex and to be vulnerable and everything in between. So as a creative, that’s a really fun space to be in.
You guys filmed in the middle of lockdown. Were you able to bond with the cast in between takes?
Well, that was the thing, ‘cause it was my first time in Paris to begin with, so I had to do two weeks in quarantine and then I went for a fitting for six and a half hours and then I was first allowed out in the streets. So I was just walking the streets, and Paris is this incredible place—it’s like a museum with the roof blown off. And these sets are incredible, these amazing locations. Honestly, we couldn’t really chill with anyone else that was outside of the cast or crew. So we all came together in a really special way, especially being the new kids at school, if that makes sense. I’ve gotta give my props to Ashley Park [who plays Mindy] on this one, ‘cause I think coming from a Broadway background where it’s very full-on, day in, day out, she knows what it’s like to be away from home and to create that family. And she really made me feel special. I had my birthday there my first week out of quarantine and everyone turned up, everyone showed love. So, yeah. I had one of the best years of my life and I’ve got to tip my hat to Paris.
That’s awesome. I want to ask you about the end of the season. There’s a little bit of a cliffhanger for where Alfie and Emily’s relationship ends up. Do you think they’ll survive long-distance?
For me personally, I’m just so, so fortunate to be part of season two. And if the guys at the top think that Alfie has any more service to give better storylines, I’m there for it. But of course I’d love to see their relationship and their friendship grow more. Let’s see what happens. It’s Emily in Paris—it’s a fantasy world where anything happens.
STÉPHANIE BRANCHU/NETFLIX
I mean, they did some traveling this season, so, is there a hope for Emily in London?
Imagine Emily in London! Listen. Emily in London? It would be a turn-up. For sure, for sure.
Emily took Alfie out on a nice Vespa trip around Paris. If it was the other way around, where would he take her for a first date around London?
In London, I’d definitely have to take her for a pizza in Camden. We’d take a little walk up to Primrose Hill. We’d watch the sunset and then we go to Mau Mau in Notting Hill, which is this karaoke spot with a live reggae band. And I’d probably sing my heart out to a song I should never sing my heart out to. I regret saying that because I’m never, ever gonna do karaoke. But yeah, we’d have a great time…and eat some good food.
STÉPHANIE BRANCHU/NETFLIX
This interview was lightly edited and condensed for clarity.
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