‘Emily in Paris‘ is one of Netflix’s star romantic comedies. Created by Darren Star and starring Lily Collins, the creator confirmed that Collins’ character in the series is based on the figure of Rebecca Leffler.

Based on real events

‘Emily in Paris’ is based on the premise of a young and enthusiastic North American publicist (Collins) who is sent by her company to work in a French subsidiary. There, Emily will begin a new life with new friendships, romances, rivalries, and the cultural clash between New York and Parisian life.

Something similar happened to the writer and journalist Rebecca Leffler. She first came to Paris as part of her studies at Dartmouth and then came back and stayed permanently. She worked at a marketing company, as a correspondent for The Hollywood Reporter in France, and as a film critic for the Canal network before devoting herself fully to her passion: writing books.

On a work trip, she met a producer who later passed her name on to Darren Star when he was working on the idea for the series. Star wanted to meet her and that inspired her to continue composing the character of Emily.

“I told him: here is my life, take it all, and I shared all my anecdotes with him. Darren Star created that character, but there is a lot of me in him ”

the other EmilyThe 30-year-old acknowledges many of her own experiences in the series, such as when Emily’s shower breaks due to an old pipe and she has to find a plumber. Another situation that Leffler has seen faithfully portrayed in the series is the workings of the French marketing agency. According to her account, her boss was a lot like Sylvie and she also had trouble fitting in with her co-workers. One of the most common criticisms of the series is its lack of realism, on which Leffler has commented: “I’m a cliché. I live in the Marais. I’m an American in Paris. I do yoga. I’m a vegetarian. Many things about me are Pure American cliche .”

Leffler highlights the main difference concerning his experience his wardrobe has never been as varied as Collins’s, nor did his boss send him lingerie and, of course, his neighbors “have never looked like Lucas Bravo” (Gabriel, one of Emily’s loves).
“I just fell in love with the city,” he says of his stay in France, where he has lived for 17 years. Regarding Emily’s future in the series, she would like her to make more French friends and succeed at her job but also for her to let go and not lose her “joie de vivre”.

‘Emily in Paris’ has two seasons, available on Netflix, and has already been renewed for a third and a fourth.