New city, new hairstyle. Season 5 of Emily in Paris brings a lot of changes for the bubbly American heroine played by Lily Collins.
TODAY writer Jill Martin traveled to Venice to talk about season five with Collins and her on-screen and real-life friend Ashley Park, who plays Mindy.
Among the topics of their conversations? What inspired Collins' character's sudden change of plot.
“So Emily got a bean or Lily got a bean? Martin asked in a segment that will air TODAY, December 15th.
“Lily got the bean,” Collins explained. “Usually Lily gets her hair cut first, and then Marilyn (Fitoussi, show costume designer) is inspired by haircuts to create a new wardrobe for the next season. And then I always go to Darren (Star, the show's creator) and say, 'Hey, can I keep this?'”
Throughout the series, which returns for season five on December 18, Emily has rarely strayed from her signature long dark locks. Except, of course, for the time she decided to cut her bangs in the season three premiere.
As it turns out, for Collins it was another case of art imitating life.
“In the season with the bangs, we created part of the storyline, you know, Ashley comes in and says, 'No!'” the actor said.
“Trauma,” Park noted.
Collins' actual haircut was more of a dramatic mane movement than bangs. She told Jill that she would never have considered playing this style of sport before in her life. But her hairdresser Gregory Russell convinced her to give it a try as he had always wanted to see her with shorter hair.
“I really like changing my hair, and it's ironic because when I was growing up I was like, “I never want to cut my hair or dye my hair.” And I did it, and I didn't know how people would react. I was like, “Is there going to be a wig or something next season?” – she recalls.
Luckily, Star decided to keep her hair and the duo began discussing whether to include it in the show.
“And I thought, 'Well, we've already done that with bangs.' So, there was one moment that I think was cut (from the show), but in the very first episode there was a moment where I walk into the office in Rome and sit down. The Filipina (Filipina Leroy-Beaulieu, who plays Sylvie) comes in and the first thing she says is, “You get a haircut.” And I said, “Oh, thank you.” And she’s like, “That’s not a compliment. It’s time for us to go,” she recalled.
Park wanted to make sure the merits of Collins' haircut were recognized, so she improvised a bit during filming.
“I added a line. Because when Mindy comes to Rome, I remember saying, 'Wait, wait. I know Lily cut her hair, but I think Mindy would at least say, 'I love my 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 welcomed her first child with her husband Charlie McDowell.
“No, it wasn’t. I've always wanted to do this. When I was 25, I had a very short haircut, and then it grew out. But then I just kept growing it. No, maybe it's more practical,” she said.
Regardless of her motivation for cutting her hair, the end result is amazing if you ask Puck.
“I've never met anyone who could truly do any hairstyle and any hair color,” she said.
