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Darren Star addresses 'Emily in Paris' criticism: 'I was surprised'

By Megan Armstrong | Last updated 8/12/21

Emily in Paris became an instant phenomenon once it premiered on Netflix in October 2020.

Who could forget Abby Govindan convincing everyone she created the show after the outrage over its two Golden Globe nominations earlier this year?

Darren Star, Emily in Paris's actual creator, recently talked with The Hollywood Reporter's Lacey Rose and addressed the widespread backlash.

"Honestly, I was surprised that people would ever be offended by anything in the show," Star said. "It’s a lighthearted romantic comedy, and I kept thinking nobody can really be that thin-skinned—we're poking fun at a cliché, but they're clichés that everyone has experienced at one time or another, both from the American point of view and the French point of view. That's what it's about. If it were about a character who came to France and spoke perfect French and knew her place in a French company and behaved according to all the cultural dictates, there wouldn’t be a show."

The primary gripe with Emily in Paris was its depiction of French culture, and the French were perhaps the loudest in the chorus of criticisms.

The first season followed Emily Cooper (Lily Collins) as she relocated from Chicago to Paris after landing a job with a marketing firm in need of an American perspective.

Netflix renewed the series for a second season last November.

"You discover you have this very rich ensemble and while you don’t want to lose what the show’s about—it’s still Emily's journey—you do try to find ways to dig into some of these other characters," Star told THR. "And it's such a talented group of actors, and many of them French actors who [U.S. audiences have] never really seen before. And for the second season, they have more opportunity to act in French because there are a lot more scenes in French."

"You know, when I did the first season, it was for an American network [it later moved to Netflix], and I was a little nervous about how much French an American audience can handle," the 60-year-old continued. "So if Emily was in a scene—and she was in every scene—the dialogue was in English. Second season, there are going to be some scenes where she's not present and we're going to hear the French characters talking to each other in French—and they're even better in their own language. I also think we've all been so accustomed to reading subtitles that I don’t have the [same worry]."

Emily in Paris also features Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu, Ashley Park, Lucas Bravo, Samuel Arnold, and more.

Pre-Emily, Star built an acclaimed profile by creating some of the most beloved series on television: Beverly Hills, 90210, Melrose Place and Sex in the City, to name a few. Most recently, his TV Land creation Younger wrapped its seven-season run in June.

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