Emily in Paris offered a solemn tribute to assistant director Diego Borella, who died during production on season 5.
“In memory of Diego Borella,” a title card read at the end of the season finale, which dropped on Netflix earlier this month.
Us Weekly confirmed in August that Borella died at the age of 47 while the show filmed scenes in Venice, Italy.
“We are deeply saddened to confirm the sudden passing of a member of the Emily in Paris production family,” a spokesperson for Paramount Television Studios told Us in a statement. “Our hearts go out to the individual’s family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time.”
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Borella had collapsed while the crew were preparing a scene at Venice’s Hotel Danieli, according to multiple local outlets at the time. In light of Borella’s passing, the show briefly halted production. Lily Collins, who plays the titular Emily, and her costars resumed filming two days later.
Emily in Paris follows an American marketing executive after she moves from the United States to Paris to begin a new job at a luxury marketing agency. By the end of season 4, Emily was tasked with leading a branch of the company in Rome with new love interest Marcello (Eugenio Franceschini) in tow.
After a whirlwind on-off romance, Emily and Marcello traveled to Venice in the season finale for the city’s fashion week — and the debut of Marcello’s eponymous line. Despite a successful presentation, the couple ended up breaking up when Marcello revealed his plans to move back to Italy to assume control of his family’s fashion house. Emily, for her part, wasn’t ready to say au revoir to the City of Lights.
The final episode further hinted that Emily could reconcile with ex-boyfriend Gabriel (Lucas Bravo), who sent her a postcard to “meet [him] in Greece.”
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“Gabriel is important. He’s part of the DNA of the show,” series director and executive producer Andrew Fleming exclusively told Us about the chances of reconciliation for the fan-favorite pair. “When he and Emily are in a scene together, something undefinable happens. They have this chemistry. They do. There’s just something about the two of them that’s very watchable.”
Fleming further teased that there’s more to Emily and Gabriel’s story if Emily in Paris gets renewed for a season 6.
“Looking ahead, they’re part of each other’s journey. Who is to say who Emily is going to end up with, but Emily and Gabriel are going to interact with each other,” the director told Us. “Stuff is going to happen [but] I really can’t say anything about what’s going to happen next season.”
Bravo’s Gabriel left his job running the Michelin-winning L’esprit de Gigi restaurant to serve as the private chef on a British businessman’s yacht.
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“We want to go on a journey,” Fleming said of Bravo’s story arc. “At no point was Luke ever leaving the show permanently.”
Bravo, 37, previously had been critical about his onscreen character, leading to speculation about whether Gabriel would be written off the show.
“The ‘sexy chef’ was very much part of me in season 1 and we grew apart season after season because of the choices he makes and because of the direction they make him take,” Bravo told IndieWire in October 2024. “I’ve never been so far away from him. … There is only so much I can do in the limits of a script. I tried for seasons to bring nuances but we don’t have much liberty on set. We cannot change a word or an emotion. They know what they want and we just have to comply.”
Emily in Paris season 5 is currently streaming on Netflix.
