New city, new hairstyle. Season 5 of “Emily in Paris” has many changes in store for its chipper American protagonist, played by Lily Collins.
TODAY lifestyle contributor Jill Martin ventured to Venice to chat about Season 5 with Collins and her onscreen and real life friend, Ashley Park, who plays Mindy.
Among the topics of their talk? What inspired the sudden strand switch-up for Collins’ character.
“So did Emily get the bob, or did Lily get the bob?” Martin asked in a segment that will air on TODAY on Dec. 15.
“Lily got the bob,” Collins clarified. “Usually Lily gets the haircuts first, and then Marylin (Fitoussi, the show’s costume designer) is inspired by the haircuts to create the new wardrobe for the next season. And then I always go to Darren (Star, the show’s creator) and I’m like, ‘Hey, can I keep it?'”
Throughout the series, which returns for Season 5 on Dec. 18, Emily has rarely strayed from her signature long, brunette locks. Except, of course, that time she decided to cut her own bangs in the Season 3 premiere.
As it turns out, this was another case of art imitating life for Collins.
“In the season with the bangs, we created part of the storyline, you know, Ashley coming in, and being like, ‘No!'” the actor said.
“Trauma bangs,” Park noted.
Collins’ real-life bob was a bit more of a dramatic mane move than getting bangs. She told Jill it’s a style she wouldn’t have considered sporting earlier in her life. But her hairstylist, Gregory Russell, convinced her to try it, since he’d always wanted to see her with shorter hair.
“I really love changing my hair, which is ironic, because growing up, I was like, ‘I never want to cut or color my hair.’ And so I did it, and I didn’t know how people would react. I was like, ‘Is there going to have to be a wig next season or whatever?'” she recalled.
Luckily, Star was down to keep the hairstyle, and the duo proceeded to debate if they should write it into the show.
“And I was like, ‘Well, we already did that with the bangs.’ So there was one moment, I believe it was cut (from the show) but there was a moment in the very first episode when I go into the Rome office and I sit down. Philippine (Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu, who plays Sylvie) comes in, and the first thing she says is, ‘You cut your hair.’ And I said, ‘Oh, thanks.’ And she’s like, ‘It’s not a compliment. We’ve gotta go,’” she remembered.
Park wanted to make sure the merits of Collins’ haircut were acknowledged so she improvised a bit while filming.
“I added a line. Because when Mindy comes to Rome, I remember being like, ‘Wait, hold up. I know that Lily got this haircut, but I feel like Mindy would at least be, like, ‘Love your hair!’” she said.
Martin was also curious to know if becoming a mother inspired Collins’ new shorter hairstyle. In January 2025, Collins announced that she had welcomed her first child with her husband Charlie McDowell.
“No, it didn’t. I always wanted to do it. I had a very short haircut when I was 25 and then it grew out. But then I just kept it growing. No, it is more practical, perhaps,” she said.
Regardless of her motivation for chopping her hair, the end result is fabulous, if you ask Park.
“I’ve never met anybody who could pull off, truly, any hairstyle, any hair color,” she said.
The stars of hit Netflix series “Emily In Paris” Lily Collins, Ashley Park and Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu reflect on their strong female characters and the real-life friendships they’ve formed over the past four seasons during an appearance on “The Kelly Clarkson Show.”
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