Lily Collins Has Admitted Her “Emily in Paris” Character Is Definitely Not 22

Really? We never would have guessed.

Netflix’s new dramedy Emily in Paris has certainly been making headlines over the past month. Only a couple of weeks ago, French critics were slamming the show for its offensive portrayal of Parisians.

If you haven’t watched the series yet, it follows Emily (Lily Collins), an ambitious American woman from Chicago who leaves her previous life and boyfriend behind and moves to Paris for an unexpected job opportunity. She is tasked with bringing an American point of view to a venerable French marketing firm.

Despite receiving critical backlash, some viewers simply can’t get enough of the show.

Honestly, it’s not too difficult to understand why people can’t help but become invested in Emily’s journey. This year has been highly chaotic due to the coronavirus pandemic, so we’ll take all the escapism we can get at this point. 

In an unpredictable world, Emily in Paris brings us certainty in the form of berets, baguettes and very hot men (*cough* Lucas Bravo *cough*).

meet my new french boyfriend (lucas bravo as gabriel) from emily in paris pic.twitter.com/Pcc9oZBor2

— she (@lovestharry) October 7, 2020

However, there’s one glaring detail that has remained uncertain throughout the series: Emily’s age.

While we know Emily is a "twenty-something", her exact age is never explicitly mentioned in any of the episodes. Instead, we just assumed that she was in her late twenties, considering Collins is 31 herself.

Well, we assumed wrong. As it turns out, Collins told British Vogue that her character is "22-ish" earlier this month.

"I want to say she’s like, 22-ish. She’s had enough experience at her company in Chicago to have earned the respect of her boss," the actress said.

The internet was understandably baffled by the revelation. That would mean Emily has graduated high school, obtained a bachelor’s degree and then a Master’s in communications before even turning 22.

On top of that, she has apparently gained enough professional experience in marketing to be transferred to Paris to run social media campaigns for high end designers.

Sounds legit.

Me seeing Lily Collins say Emily has Master’s & so much PR/marketing experience she gets paid to live in Paris to run social strategy... at 22. #EmilyinParis pic.twitter.com/ThmqBsKmgu

— Jeannie Clary (@jeannieclary) October 15, 2020

But if you were beginning to question your life decisions, you can relax now. Collins admitted on social media over the weekend that she got Emily’s age wrong.

"Emily looking at me when I get her age wrong," she wrote alongside a funny gif.

Although, Collins still didn’t confirm how old her character actually is, so that's still up for debate. 

On the other hand, her co-star Bravo told The Rundown that Emily is probably 24.

“I feel like she’s still very strong willed and she has certainties, but yeah I would say [that she is] around 24,” he said.

Yeah, maybe we should be questioning our life decisions after all. 

Header Image: Netflix