Lily Collins defends 'Emily in Paris' character but acknowledges 'she’s not infallible'

Lily Collins has heard it all since Emily in Paris debuted on Netflix in October 2020, and the 32-year-old actress doesn't totally disagree with the shade aimed at her titular character.

"A lot of the qualities that Emily has, if you put them on paper, would seem so annoying," Collins told Nylon as the magazine's newest cover star. "To have someone be optimistic, bright, and bubbly—it's sad to think that people would look and go, ‘That’s a lot.’ They’re such beautiful qualities, and the fact that she can partner that with being vulnerable and asking for help and making mistakes—she’s not infallible."

Emily in Paris was beloved as much as it was maligned, with criticisms over how the Darren Star creation depicted French culture in its first season, including from French people themselves.

Star addressed the backlash with The Hollywood Reporter in August:

"Honestly, I was surprised that people would ever be offended by anything in the show. 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."

Emily in Paris was renewed for a second season, which will premiere Dec. 22. 

See more from Collins' Nylon spread below.