Rome Mayor Tells French President to ‘Relax’ About ‘Emily in Paris’ 

The Mayor of Rome has responded to French President Emmanuel Macron’s vow to “fight hard” to keep Emily in Paris from moving to Italy for good.

The hit Netflix series’ fourth season showed Emily Cooper (Lily Collins) relocating from Paris to Rome for her job with a luxury marketing firm. On Wednesday, October 9, Macron, 46, told Variety that Emily in Paris is “good for the image of France. [It] is super-positive in terms of attractiveness for the country.”

Macron added: “We will fight hard. And we will ask them to remain in Paris! Emily in Paris in Rome doesn‘t make sense.”

When reached Wednesday to respond to Macron’s comment, Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri did not mince words. 

“Doesn’t President Macron have more pressing matters to worry about?” Gualtieri told The Hollywood Reporter in an interview. “I would like to believe, at least I would like to hope, that Macron was joking, because he ought to know that a production company like Netflix does not take orders from heads of state or make decisions based on political pressure.”

The mayor continued, “There are perhaps a few more pressing issues for the French president. For example, there [are] a couple of wars going on in Ukraine and in the Middle East, there is a horrible hurricane that hit America and which is linked to climate change, and a few other matters of state in Europe for Macron that are more important than Emily, I imagine.”

In conclusion, Gualtieri said: “We see Emily’s move to Rome as a confirmation that our city is becoming more and more important, and we are quite relaxed about Netflix production decisions. They know what they are doing. To be honest, we think Mr. Macron should just relax.”

Emily in Paris, which premiered in 2020, has centered around Emily’s escapades in France after moving from Chicago to the City of Light for work. She subsequently found herself caught in a love triangle between Gabriel (Lucas Bravo) and Alfie (Lucien Laviscount), but by the end of season 4, things took a significant turn: Emily and Gabriel’s romance fizzled and viewers watched Emily move on with Marcello (Eugenio Franceschini) and embark on a Roman holiday.

Following the season finale, creator Darren Star shut down concerns that Emily in Paris would become Emily in Rome.

“She didn’t change her Instagram handle to Emily in Rome. She is working in Rome sometimes. Sylvie’s company has an office in Rome. Emily’s getting that on its feet,” he told Deadline in September. “I don’t necessarily think that it means a permanent — in my mind, it’s definitely not a permanent — move to Rome. We’re not leaving Paris.”