‘Emily in Paris’ star Lily Collins says Season 2 ‘focus’ is ‘diversity, inclusion’

Netflix‘s fashionable, “Sex and the City”-esque series “Emily in Paris” will be back for Season 2 next month, and star Lily Collins said it will address the criticism the series received for showing an inaccurate portrayal of the French city.

Collins, 32, is producing the second season and explained how the upcoming episodes will respond to the show’s controversy, especially regarding representation.

“For me as Emily, but also as a producer on [the show], after Season 1, hearing people’s thoughts, concerns, questions, likes, dislikes, just feelings about it, there were certain things that spoke to the time that we’re living in and what’s right, and moral and correct and should be done,” the “Love, Rosie” actress told Elle UK in a new profile.

“And [that was] something that I felt passionate about. [The producers] all believed in the same things,” she continued. “And I really wanted diversity and inclusion in front of and behind the camera to be something that we really put our focus on, in a lot of ways.

“Hiring new people in front of the camera, also giving new storylines to different characters, which was really important,” Collins stated.

“Emily in Paris” follows the title character as she works for a French marketing agency called Savoir and spends her days posting Instagram-worthy photos of herself rocking colorful designer lewks and munching on pain au chocolats.

The half-hour rom-com reportedly was the streamer’s most popular comedy series of 2020, with Netflix saying more than 58 million households watched within 28 days of its premiere.

“It’s an honor to be associated with a project that provided people with some much-needed relief during a trying time when everyone was looking for a reason to smile and laugh,” Collins said in a statement earlier this year when the sophomore season was announced. “Not only did playing Emily teach me more about myself, but also about the world around me. I couldn’t be happier to be back in Paris for Season 2 to expand upon those lessons, to continue to grow, and learn even more about this beautiful city and all of its character with Emily.”

Fans took issue with the show in its first season last year, with many saying that it “misrepresents” Paris and French people.

Following the criticism, the “To the Bone” star told Vogue Arabia that it was “disheartening” to read the negative comments. She said, “As disheartening as it sometimes is to read these things, it’s also a gift; you’re being allowed to improve.”

Season 2, which began filming last May in Paris and St. Tropez, will premiere on Dec. 22.