Lily Collins Expresses Interest in an ‘Emily in London’ Spin-off

Having experienced croissants near the Eiffel Tower and espressos outside the Colosseum, the question arises: could fish and chips on the London Eye be next? Lily Collins, known for her role in *Emily in Paris*, informed the BBC of her enthusiasm for an *Emily in London* spin-off, stating it “would be so fun”. Collins, aged 35, has resided in London for several months recently, in preparation for her upcoming West End stage debut in *Barcelona*. In this romantic thriller, Collins portrays an American tourist who engages in a one-night stand with an attractive Spaniard, a character brought to life by Álvaro Morte from *Money Heist*. Following the show’s opening night, Collins conveyed her belief that her *Emily in Paris* character, Emily Cooper, would find London appealing. “She would definitely go to Portobello Road and buy some antiques, obviously visit Big Ben and toy shop Hamleys.” Collins further remarked, “She would also definitely try and get into Buckingham Palace,” noting that Emily would enjoy having tea with the King and would “try and get the guards to smile but I’m not sure she’d be able to do that”. The Netflix romantic comedy series chronicles the experiences of American marketing executive Emily Cooper, who works at a marketing firm in Paris. For the show’s fourth season, Emily relocates to Rome to establish a new office. The popular series has received a renewal for a fifth season; however, the filming location has not yet been disclosed. Cooper’s imagined affection for London is partly influenced by Collins’s personal sentiments towards the city, which she describes as truly “feels like home”. While one might assume the A-list celebrity has indulged in London’s more luxurious offerings, it appears she finds the most enjoyment in simple pleasures. “I love the Tube but most of all I love sitting on the front of a double-decker bus and looking out of the window.” She elaborated, “I don’t even have a plan on where I want to go, I just sit there and see all the sights and people.” Collins, scheduled to perform in eight West End shows weekly for multiple months, stated that she unwinds by “walking the dogs with my husband on Hampstead Heath”. She added, “I go there so often, it really is huge and it actually feels like countryside even though you’re in London.” Beyond nature walks, Collins also incorporates listening to dance music into her pre-show routine for relaxation. “My make-up takes a while to do so I just sit in my chair with very loud dance music on – usually it’s Dua Lipa, Lizzo kind of music – but I’m trying to switch it up a bit at the moment.” Her co-star, Morte, 49, shared that his pre-show ritual includes engaging in “very silly dancing”. He stated, “I begin dancing behind the set as the audience come into the theatre,” and mentioned his fondness for feeling nervous. “I use the nerves to prepare myself to be connected to the audience, and in Spain we have a saying that the day you go on stage without feeling nervous is the day it will be a bad show.” The *Money Heist* actor, a native of Madrid, explained that when portraying the arch-villain professor in the Netflix series, his objective is to “enjoy every minute of it and once the plan is set, just try and have fun”. Bess Wohl’s theatrical production has garnered varied critical responses. Clive Davis of *The Times* gave *Barcelona* two stars, commenting that Collins “struggles to bring her character to life”. Similarly, Adam Bloodworth from *City AM* wrote that the actress “can’t save the bland two-hander”, also assigning the production two stars. Concluding a series of two-star reviews, Chris Wiegand of *The Guardian* described the performances as “agreeable” but noted it was “hard to invest in either character”. Conversely, some critics expressed greater enthusiasm. Claire Allfree of *The Telegraph* wrote that Collins was “one to watch”, further stating that she and Morte “elevate a rather dated two-hander into something properly affecting”, and awarded a three-star rating. Fiona Mountford from the *i* bestowed five stars upon the play, describing it as “one of the best things I’ve seen on stage all year” and commending Collins’s performance as “remarkable”. *Barcelona* is scheduled to run at the Duke of York’s Theatre until January 11. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content of external sites. Information regarding their approach to external linking is available.