Why Lucas Bravo Almost Wasn’t Cast in Emily in Paris

Emily in Paris season five is officially weeks away, seeing Lily Collins, Ashley Park and Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu return to the helm. And from the surprise new cast members to the official teaser trailer, the Netflix show is making non-stop headlines.

It is EIP fan favourite actor Lucas Bravo that has been getting the world talking the most, with the 37-year-old starring in the series as French chef Gabriel, Emily’s on-off boyfriend, since season one. And given his non-appearance in the season five trailer and the uncertainty around his return to the show, Bravo has been front and centre.

This was no exception this week, as reports resurfaced around his original casting, with Bravo very nearly missing out on the role due to the network wanting a more established name.

According to Bravo, the show didn’t “want to take a chance on” an actor that didn’t have “enough background.” And as a result, he was initially ruled out for the part.

“I wanted to be in a place where there’s no service, and I could just talk to birds, so to speak,” Bravo recalled to PEOPLE in September 2024, explaining that he immediately left for a hike in Corsica to work through his disappointment.

According to the actor, it wasn’t until a fellow hiker borrowed his phone, taking it hours away to get signal, that he found that show creators had changed their mind.

“He told me, ‘Your phone was vibrating left and right when I got service, so you should check it out,'” the actor recalled, later finding 40 text messages and 30 missed calls.

(Image credit: Netflix)

By that point, the role of Gabriel had already been cast, but Bravo was reportedly asked to try out for another potential love interest instead. And after doing a chemistry read with Lily Collins, he bagged the original role.

“It went super well. Lily is very generous,” Bravo recalled. “When you dive into her eyes, it’s really easy to be connected to her.”

“We brought him back and he read with Lily,” show runner Darren Star recalled in a previous interview with the Los Angeles Times. “The chemistry was undeniable. He just has this natural charisma and this twinkle in his eye and an amazing sense of humor. I just wanted to go with my gut.”

Emily in Paris season five is set for release on 18 December 2025.

We will continue to update this story.