Lucas Bravo Retreated to the Mountains After Initial Rejection forEmily in Paris: 'I Could Just Talk to Birds' (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Lucas Bravo as Gabriel in “Emily in Paris” season 4 episode 3.Photo:Courtesy of Netflix

Courtesy of Netflix

Lucas Bravowasn’t originally cast as one of Emily Cooper’s love interests inEmily in Paris.

Bravo, 36, reveals to PEOPLE that after he was initially passed on, he headed to the mountains on the French island of Corsica. But while on his getaway, he learned of the production’s change of heart.

“He told me, ‘Your phone was vibrating left and right when I got service, so you should check it out.’ And I was like, ‘No, no, no. I’m here to forget thisEmily Paristhing,’ ” he adds.

“And in the morning, I woke up like, ‘I should take a look at it,’ ” he recalls, before revealing he discovered he had 40 messages and 30 missed calls. “It was the casting director telling me, ‘Where are you?’ "

Lucas Bravo on August 14, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty

Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty

He promptly returned to Paris but wasn’t sure what was going on because “the official Gabriel had signed his contract, did a table read, [and] was about to start.” He then learned that he would be reading for Emily’s other love interests.

However, he still had to read Gabriel’s lines during auditions for other roles, which he remarks was “a bit harsh” because it was “still an open wound." He obliged and proceeded with the chemistry read in a room with two producers from Paramount, two writers, creatorDarren Star, the director, andLily Collins.

He arrived in the room alone, and “it was like a house circle table,” Bravo says. “It felt like an… interrogation.”

Once he and Collins, 35, were reading together, he tells PEOPLE that “it went super well.” He explains, “Lily is very generous. When you dive into her eyes, it’s really easy to be connected to her.”

(L to R) Camille Razat as Camille, Lucas Bravo as Gabriel in “Emily in Paris” season 4 episode 7.Stephanie Branchu/Netflix

Stephanie Branchu/Netflix

The team asked about his whereabouts when they tried to contact him.

“I was like, ‘I was in the mountain with this shepherd making goat cheese,’ and I was so uncomfortable I talked about goat cheese for 10 minutes,” Bravo says. “When I left the room, and I closed the door, I was like, ‘I can’t believe I just talked about goat cheese. You’re never going to get that part.’ "

Despite his concerns, he was called the next day and immediately asked: “Are you sitting?” before being told, “Okay, you are starting in two days."

He reveals that Starr “fought” for him, because he “thought [Bravo] was the part from the beginning,” noting that theEmily in Pariscreator “went against the studio.”

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Freedomis available to stream on Amazon Prime Video on Nov. 1.Emily in Parisseason 4 is now streaming on Netflix, along with seasons 1, 2 and 3.

source: people.com