Emily Jane Cooper aka Emily Cooper (born 1992) is a pivotal character in the popular Netflix series Emily in Paris. Portrayed by Lily Collins, Emily is an ambitious marketing executive from Chicago who relocates to Paris after her company, Gilbert Group, acquires a French marketing firm. Her journey in the City of Light is marked by her bold fashion sense, bubbly personality, and the challenges of adapting to a new culture while navigating personal and professional growth. The series explores Emily’s experiences as she seeks to make her mark in Paris, balancing her career, friendships, and romantic entanglements.

Trivia/Facts

• Emily Cooper is a young and ambitious marketing executive from Chicago. She relocates to Paris when her company, Gilbert Group, acquires a French marketing firm. Emily embraces this dream opportunity with excitement and starts making a name for herself with her bold fashion and energetic personality. She adapts to her new life, balancing personal growth and professional challenges while forming new relationships.
• Growing up in a small suburban town, Emily’s mother is a math teacher and her father is a dog breeder. She excels academically and earns a dual master’s degree in communications and marketing. Emily begins her career at Gilbert Group, working under Madeline Wheeler on pharmaceutical and geriatric care projects. Her professional skills shine, leading to notable achievements in her field.
• Known for her warm and friendly nature, Emily is always enthusiastic about her job. She quickly makes friends but can sometimes appear clueless about certain situations. She advocates for important issues like sexism but struggles with big decisions, often second-guessing herself. Her dedication to Madeline nearly jeopardizes her position with Sylvie, yet she manages to retain her job through her persistence.
• Emily’s inclination to solve problems, even without full expertise, can create issues. Her unsolicited advice to Antoine and her overstepping with Julien and Luc’s pitches are examples of this. Although she aims to assist clients and support her friends, her actions sometimes come across as overindulgent and insensitive to others’ boundaries. This can lead to complications and misunderstandings.
• In Season 1 of Emily in Paris, Emily’s job requires her to move to Paris after her boss, Madeline, becomes pregnant. She is assigned to work at the French firm Savoir and faces difficulties fitting into the local culture and her new workplace. Despite these challenges, Emily befriends Mindy and Gabriel, her attractive neighbor. Her breakup with Doug leads to a complicated relationship with Gabriel, who is already involved with Camille.

• Emily’s social media presence helps her secure a partnership with Hästen’s Luxury Beds. She makes a significant impact on designer Pierre Cadault and helps her firm with a charity auction. Despite a disastrous publicity stunt, Emily works hard to mend the situation while dealing with Pierre’s image problems. Her efforts show her commitment to her job and her resilience.
• The complexity of Emily’s relationship with Gabriel increases when he decides to move to Normandy. Emily manages to restore her professional reputation and earns an invitation to join Pierre Cadault’s comeback. She also supports her friend Mindy by offering her a place to stay after Mindy is kicked out. This demonstrates Emily’s loyalty and her ability to navigate both personal and professional challenges.
• In Season 2, Emily tries to keep her affair with Gabriel hidden while he remains in Paris. Gabriel’s confession of his feelings complicates things, especially with Emily planning a romantic getaway with Mathieu Cadault. The tension between her personal desires and professional responsibilities creates further drama. Emily navigates these challenges while trying to maintain her relationships and job.
• Season 3 sees Emily struggling to balance her work and personal life in Paris. Her loyalty to Sylvie is tested as she faces the possibility of quitting her job with Madeline, who is preparing to fire her. To cope, Emily cuts her hair, an act she calls “trauma bangs,” reflecting her stress. Her professional and personal life becomes increasingly complicated, leading to more decisions and conflicts.
• Emily is assigned to find new French employees for Savoir while Doug hints at a marketing opportunity with McDonald’s. She pitches the idea, but the meeting overlaps with Alfie’s farewell party, causing issues. Madeline’s unexpected labor and Emily’s firing add to her problems. Alfie feels neglected and believes Emily prioritizes work over their relationship.

• Although Madeline rehired Emily, Savoir faces a setback when encountering Agence Grateau at a client meeting. Emily makes a grand gesture to win back Alfie, singing publicly to prove her feelings. She helps Agence Grateau secure a significant deal and convinces Sylvie to offer her a job there, despite visa issues. Emily’s determination to impress Sylvie and her successful pitch contribute to her growing recognition.
• Emily deals with various issues, including Gabriel’s plan to propose to Camille and tensions with Nicolas de Leon. She helps save an event by suggesting Antoine’s chateau as the venue and addresses unresolved feelings with Gabriel during a trip to Provence. Camille’s engagement party reveals Camille’s knowledge of the affair and her pregnancy, leading to dramatic fallout with Alfie. Emily reflects on her feelings and future in Paris.
• In Season 4, Emily faces ongoing challenges from Camille and Gabriel’s wedding fallout. Alfie is upset and ends their relationship, while Timothée’s viral video exposes Emily’s role in the breakup, adding to her stress. Julien struggles with the chaos at Agence Grateau as Emily’s attempts to fix things often interfere. Emily’s efforts to make amends with Alfie fail, and Julien decides to leave the agency.
• Emily takes the initiative to find Camille when she goes missing, mistakenly thinking Camille is with Sofia. Luc helps Emily locate Camille using GPS, leading to a successful reconciliation. Meanwhile, Emily learns from Mindy about Louis de Leon’s harassment at JVMA and informs Sylvie, creating additional strain. Emily navigates these issues while reflecting on her role and relationships in Paris.

Emily Cooper Relationship with other Characters

• Mindy Chen: Mindy Chen is Emily’s first and closest friend in Paris. Understanding the challenges of living in a foreign country, Mindy offers Emily support and companionship as she adjusts to her new life. The two often discuss Emily’s struggles and successes, strengthening their bond through shared experiences. Their friendship becomes a cornerstone of Emily’s Parisian adventure, with both supporting each other through personal and professional hurdles.
• Sylvie Grateau: Sylvie Grateau initially finds Emily’s presence at Savoir challenging due to her lack of French language skills and desire to implement changes. Sylvie’s hard-nosed attitude creates tension, as she perceives Emily as an outsider. Over time, however, the two develop a mutual understanding, navigating their professional relationship and learning to respect each other’s perspectives. Despite a rocky start, Sylvie’s eventual acceptance of Emily marks significant growth in their dynamic.
• Camille: Emily and Camille first meet at a florist shop, where Camille introduces Emily to the charm of Paris. Their friendship is marred by Emily’s hidden feelings for Camille’s boyfriend, Gabriel. The situation escalates when Camille discovers Emily and Gabriel’s affair, leading to a public confrontation and the end of their friendship. Despite Emily’s efforts to mend things, Camille initially rejects her attempts, but after Camille’s own emotional revelations, they reconcile and rebuild their friendship.
• Gabriel: Gabriel and Emily’s relationship starts as a neighborly friendship but soon evolves into a friends-with-benefits situation. Emily’s feelings for Gabriel become complicated when she learns he has a girlfriend, Camille. Despite pushing her feelings aside, their connection remains strong, and their relationship becomes more romantic when Gabriel decides to stay in Paris to open his restaurant. Their bond faces further challenges as Emily tries to maintain her friendship with Camille and navigate her own feelings. Though their romantic involvement creates tension, they share a deep connection, and Emily ultimately decides to distance herself to honor her friendship with Camille and her current relationship with Alfie.
• Mathieu Cadault: Emily meets Mathieu Cadault while working at the Pierre Cadault headquarters, where he is impressed by her marketing skills. Their professional relationship develops into a personal one as they share a mutual attraction, culminating in two kisses. Plans for a romantic getaway to St. Tropez are derailed when Mathieu overhears Emily’s conflicted feelings about Gabriel, leading him to end their relationship abruptly. This breakup significantly impacts Emily’s professional relationship with Pierre, adding complexity to her life in Paris.