How Emily in Paris Stars Lily Collins and Ashley Park Became Real-Life Best Friends

Actresses Lily Collins and Ashley Park discovered more than just remarkable fashion on the set of Emily in Paris, they found in each other a friend they didn’t know they deeply needed

The stars of Emily in Paris open up to Harper’s Bazaar Arabia

It’s hard to make friends in your 30s. It’s easy to meet people, sure, but to really connect? To build a bond that can last a lifetime? That’s the stuff of youth. The people you meet later in life, the ones who didn’t watch you grow, are rarely the ones who stick with you. That’s what Lily Collins thought, anyways, as she moved to Paris in 2019 having just entered her fourth decade, excited for the start of a new series but unsure who she would be spending her downtime with.

It was there, as they geared up to start filming their Netflix series Emily in Paris, that Lily met Ashley Park. Ashley was to play Emily’s best friend Mindy Chen, and as quickly as their chemistry started to develop in front of the camera, the more they spent time together, the longer it would continue after the cameras stopped filming.  

“We are now living in the same building both on and off the show,” Lily laughs. “On the show, we’re talking on the bed, chatting in the kitchen, and then it’s exactly the same when we finish.”

“The second we wrap, I’ll be knocking on your door in a facemask and pyjamas and we’ll be sitting on the couch and on the floor together all night,” Ashley says to her.

Three seasons in with a global pandemic squeezed in the middle, Lily can’t stop thinking how rare this is. Ashley isn’t just someone she loves spending time with, she’s someone she really trusts—and someone who accepts her for how she is.

It’s an amazing feeling to have found a sister at this point in my life.

Lily Collins

“What’s so incredible is that she met me as the woman that I was at 30. She only views me as I am now. And for her, that’s enough,” Lily says with a warm smile rising across her face. “Sometimes I feel that you carry a lot of the past with you, and that defines who you are now, and that weighs on you a little bit. But with Ashley, she only knows me as I am now, and makes me feel like me now is enough. It’s an amazing feeling to have found a sister at this point in my life,” she adds.

Through that friendship — through that sisterhood — the two have also helped each other find their voices on set.

“I think we both came into this very much like Emily did, feeling like we knew what everyone else wanted from us and knowing what we should be doing,” says Ashley. Lily started to learn from Ashley, in awe of the way she would stand up for herself and say no – and learnt to do the same thing herself.

“I learned from you that you can say no as much as you say yes, that you can advocate for yourself while being kind and true and honest — and that can be seen as an uplifting and positive thing as opposed to a burden,” Lily tells Ashley.

Ashley is wowed by Lily, too, especially as the years have gone on. “It’s been amazing to watch Lily really take on this leadership role as a producer. She is a caretaker, the most gracious leader,” says Ashley. “To watch her growth, to watch her be able to believe in herself in a way she didn’t know she was capable of has been—” Ashley pauses, eyes welling up. “Oh gosh, now I’m going to cry. Right at the end of the day, I’m going to cry!”

My favourite thing about Lily is that she believed in me before I believed in myself.

Ashley Park

But just as much as they love seeing each other stand up for themselves, they’ve always stood up for each other at every turn. “My favourite thing about Lily is that she believed in me before I believed in myself. She truly has just always been an ally and a friend, before it was trendy to be,” says Ashley. “As the seasons have gone on, we have always cheered each other on, listened to our own voice, and listened to what our hearts and minds are telling us,” the actress continues.

A lot has changed in their lives since the first season of the show was binge-watched on Netflix in October 2020. And over the years they have been there for each other for major life milestones. Most notably in 2021, Lily married Charlie McDowell, the director of her 2022 Netflix film Windfall.

Married life, however, has done nothing to pull the two apart. Instead, the three have all bonded together, the trio forming a group chat that is buzzing with near-constant memes and banter throughout the day.

“Oh my gosh, the DM thread we have with Charlie…” Ashley says. “Oh my gosh,” Lily says, covering her face. “It’s magnificent,” says Ashley. “So hilarious!” adds Lily.

Lily has learned a lot through Ashley — she’s laughed a lot through Ashley. But if she’s learned one thing more than anything else, it’s that the best friends are not the ones who watched you grow — no, the best friends are the ones who help you grow. And as long as Emily in Paris continues and beyond, the two will be there for each other, ready to cheer for every accomplishment the two have along the way.

Emily in Paris season 3 is streaming now on Netflix. Watch here.

Images Courtesy Of Netflix

From Harper’s Bazaar Arabia’s February 2023 Issue