Emily Cooper (Lily Collins), Netflix's wittiest sandwich, made her return to the platform on Thursday, September 12, accompanied by a buzz that guarantees a rocket start. France's First Lady Brigitte Macron makes a brief appearance in the second half of season 4 of the Emily in Paris series.
The scene takes place in a chic restaurant at the start of episode seven, as Emily, having lunch with a new intern, spots Brigitte Macron and confides to her colleague that the president's wife follows her on Instagram. "My country adores you, Emily!" Brigitte Macron says with obvious delight, after the young woman approaches her and introduces herself, in schoolgirl French. The short scene concludes like any other 2.0 encounter, in other words, with a selfie.
Everyone loves Emily and Emily loves everyone, starting with the brands – mostly luxury – that the series promotes in a more or less outrageously blatant way. By giving a cameo to Brigitte Macron, the series associates itself with her good taste and a certain idea of French style – the first lady actually wears her own clothes in the scene, the production said.
According to Collins, guest on a primetime French television show on Wednesday, September 11, the idea for the appearance dated back several years, when Brigitte Macron met the actress and series creator Darren Star and expressed her admiration.
Emily in Paris is part of Netflix's contribution to the efforts of Atout France, the organization tasked by the French government with promoting the country's "cultural and tourist influence," alongside other series such as Lupin. Those paying close attention will have noticed the hashtag #MakeItIconic, launched by Atout France, under the selfie Emily posts of herself with Brigitte Macron on Instagram. Emmanuel Macron has always been a staunch supporter of the "start-up nation." So this was a good match.
Indeed, the scene is likely to cause some controversy, not least because of its unfortunate timing, which can be seen as the president's total disconnection from the concerns of the French, after a particularly calamitous political summer. Even if the episode was filmed well before the dissolution of the Assemblée Nationale, there is always a danger in trying to make fiction out of reality, all the more when it comes to public affairs.
In the US, the practice is not uncommon, as it is part of the country's political culture to know how to laugh at oneself. The current president and former vice president, Joe Biden, has played himself several times in TV series, including once in a memorable scene on Parks and Recreation. Closer to home, pro-European French politicians (Manon Aubry, Clément Beaune, for example) have discreetly lent themselves to the exercise for Parliament, the France Télévisions series about the inner workings of the Strasbourg institution. But no one has yet beaten Donald Trump, who has been an expert in television guest appearances" since the 1990s (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Sex and the City...), and is always willing to play himself. The rest is history.