'Emily in Paris' season 4 adds hunky new cast member — is he Emily's new love interest?

Lily Collins as Emily in Emily in Paris
(Image credit: Netflix)

Season 3 of "Emily in Paris" saw Lily Collins's Emily Cooper in the middle of a love rhombus, stuck between her boyfriend Alfie (Lucien Laviscount) and her former lover Gabriel (Lucas Bravo), who was in a relationship with her good friend Camille (Camille Razat). And it doesn't seem like the romantic drama will be ending anytime soon — while Bravo recently revealed that the upcoming "Emily in Paris" season 4 will take Emily and Gabriel's love story 'to the next level," the French chef is seemingly not the only love interest for our heroine.

When the show's fourth season premieres on Netflix on Thursday, August 15 — the season will debut in two parts, with the second half hitting the streaming platform on Thursday, September 12 — "Emily in Paris" viewers will notice a new face among the group of returning cast members, which includes Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu as Emily's boss Sylvie Grateau, Samuel Arnold and Bruno Gouery as coworkers Julien and Luc, and Ashley Park as Emily's bestie Mindy. 

That new face belongs to Italian actor Eugenio Franceschini, a 32-year-old Verona native who was spotted earlier this spring by paparazzi and publications like The Daily Mail filming for the series alongside star Lily Collins at Rome's Trevi Fountain. Though the bulk of the Netflix series is set in the French capital, season 4 will expand the show's European settings to include Italy, with Collins previously teasing that her character will go on a "Roman holiday" sometime during the new episodes. A romantic getaway, perhaps?

Not much is known about Franceschini's character — "Emily in Paris" isn't even listed on the performer's IMDb page, which includes Italian projects like "Maldamore" (2014), "Medici" (2016) and "Màkari" (2024). But given that the paparazzi photos show both the actor and Lily's Emily zooming on a Vespa around the Italian city and sharing an intimate alfresco meal together, he's either playing Emily's new amore or a very thorough tour guide.

A new love interest would make sense, given what happened at the end of last season. During the season 3 finale, Gabriel and Camille called off their marriage, with the latter revealing that she knew Gabriel really loved Emily and broke a pact she made with her friend not to pursue him. Realizing where her feelings really lay and refusing to be the second choice, Alfie in turn ended his relationship with Emily. And though Gabriel and Emily were seemingly now free to actually be together, there was one more wrench thrown in their plans: Camille announced that she was pregnant with Gabriel's baby! 

It would be understandable, then, if Emily wanted to remove herself entirely from that romantic rhombus and enter into a slightly less dramatic situation with a handsome Italian guy.

Tom's Guide will keep you posted on all things "Emily in Paris" ahead of the fourth season, including behind-the-scenes tidbits, actor insights and character descriptions, including who Eugenio Franceschini is playing in the series. In the meantime, you can catch up with Emily, Gabriel and the rest of the Paris-set crew by rewatching the show's first three seasons with a Netflix subscription.

Christina Izzo
Writer

Christina Izzo is a writer-editor covering culture, food and drink, travel and general lifestyle in New York City. She was previously the Deputy Editor at My Imperfect Life, the Features Editor at Rachael Ray In Season and Reveal, as well as the Food & Drink Editor and chief restaurant critic at Time Out New York.