Emily in Paris star isn't sure he wants to return for season 5 – unhappy with character's journey
"It kind of became not fun for me to shoot or to see a character I love so much and brought me so much, being slowly turned into guacamole."
We already know that Emily in Paris will be returning for a fifth season on Netflix, but it seems that one of its biggest characters might not be there when it does.
Lucas Bravo, the French actor who has played major character Gabriel on the series since it began, has recently spoken with IndieWire about his experiences on the show, and has revealed he is unhappy with the journey Gabriel has been on.
He explained: "The 'sexy chef' was very much part of me in season 1, and we grew apart season after season because of the choices he makes and because of the direction they make him take. I’ve never been so far away from him. In season 1, there was a lot of me in him.
"But as they made him kind of unaware of his surroundings, of the dynamic, always victimising and always being completely lost in translation and oblivious to anything that is happening around him and being manipulated by everyone, it kind of became not fun for me to shoot or to see a character I love so much and brought me so much, being slowly turned into guacamole.
"I really grew apart from him."
Bravo added that he tried to give input on set when it comes to his character's journey, but explained that "there is only so much I can do in the limits of a script".
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"I tried for seasons to bring nuances but we don’t have much liberty on set," he said. "We cannot change a word or an emotion. They know what they want and we just have to comply.
"It makes me question if I want to be part of season 5 […] because my contract ends at season 4.
"I really want to see if Gabriel gets back to his fun, cheeky, playful, alive self. Because three seasons playing melancholic, sad, depressed and lost is not fun anymore.
"It’s a comedy, everybody is having fun around me, everybody is jumping around, and I’m just slowly sinking into god knows what."
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Bravo went on to criticise the show's lack of risk-taking, saying that while he "loves" the show and appreciates it for the wider recognition it has given him, the story direction will never veer off a set path.
"They are very precious about not changing the recipe and keeping it what it was," he said. "Anything that could go off road is carefully taken back.
"It’s a lot of souffles. Pregnant? No, fake positive. Going to Rome? No, coming back. There are a lot of things like that. There is a lack of risk."
Speaking with RadioTimes.com ahead of season 4, Bravo previously said that "it felt good to shoot romantic scenes with Lily again" in season 4, saying it took him back to filming the show's first season.
He said: "It brought me back to that innocent time where I discovered this amazing world."
Emily in Paris seasons 1-4 are streaming now on Netflix – sign up for from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
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