Lily Collins has found ‘Emily 2.0’ in Paris

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The new season of “Emily in Paris” will have many of the same elements as the first three: daring fashion, flirty romance and workplace drama. One thing that has changed? The lead actor’s confidence.

Lily Collins, who plays Emily Cooper, said her life has mirrored her character’s growth since the series premiered in 2020.

“Walking onto set season four, I was a different person than walking onto set season one,” Collins said in a recent interview with The Associated Press. “I’m a more well-rounded and understanding human in this space now because of the show.”

In addition to starring in the series, Collins produces it. The first season marked her first producing gig, and she's taken on several other projects since.

“With the growth of Emily, there’s come a real growth in myself within my role as an actor, but also as a producer,” she said. “Being so collaborative with the writers and Darren (Star, series creator) and the other producers on this and having a voice on the show has really given me the confidence with other projects out there to do the same or want the same.”

The upcoming fourth season follows Emily untangling a messy love triangle, but she’s in a more stable place professionally than when we first saw her struggling to fit in at her new job in a new country. Even her French has improved as the series went on. Collins said some of her character’s self-assurance has rubbed off on her.

“I’ve grown more confident as Emily, but also with Lily. I’m asking deeper questions about the entire project, more so than I would’ve season one," she said. "They’re not just about aesthetics anymore, it’s about the core values of the show and how to change things and how to bring new ideas to the table.”

Some of those new ideas include adapting Emily’s headline-making wardrobe with each season, a process that Collins said required two eight-hour fittings. She said they broke their own record by securing 82 looks for the fourth season.

The costuming, by designer Marylin Fitoussi, is a crucial part of the story, showing Emily’s evolution from an expat sporting looks emblazoned with the Eiffel Tower to outfits more like that of an authentic Parisian woman. But the costuming is also a crucial part of Collins’ process of stepping back into Emily’s shoes — both literally and figuratively.

“It’s the best way for me to start to feel like Emily again, but Emily 2.0,” Collins said. “We really do tell a story with clothing in this.”

Collins said at Wednesday's premiere that the depth of Emily's character has been a rewarding part of the process for her, especially in seeing how fans connect with Emily or are inspired by her.

“It means the world,” Collins said. “I love playing a woman who’s unapologetically herself and loves to work, and that’s a positive thing, and that she’s still struggling to find a work-life balance because I think that you’re always trying to find what works for you. So not having it together all the time is actually an OK thing, and I love playing a character that celebrates that.”

The fourth season of the show, which premieres its first half on Thursday, has been hotly anticipated among its growing fanbase since the third season was released two years ago. Netflix has yet to renew the series for a fifth season but Star, known for “Sex and the City” and “Beverly Hills, 90210,” said he thinks the audience and popularity are only growing with time.

“It’s not like it was a product of the pandemic and people not being able to travel so they liked to watch Paris on the screen. They can travel now and the show’s increased in popularity and, in fact, it encourages people to travel, which was my biggest dream of the show,” he said.

Even with his belief in the series, Star said it’s always “gratifying” when audiences respond well to the final product. As a veteran in the television world, Star knows audiences’ reception and viewership can be unpredictable.

“You just can never, ever know how the audience is going to respond and what the outcome’s going to be, so I just really get mostly attached to the process and feeling happy about the season,” he said. “I’m really happy about this season, I hope the audience loves it.”

This image released by Netflix shows Lily Collins in a scene from "Emily in Paris." (Stephanie Branchu/Netflix via AP)

This image released by Netflix shows Lily Collins in a scene from "Emily in Paris." (Stephanie Branchu/Netflix via AP)

This image released by Netflix shows Lily Collins, left, and Ashley Park in a scene from "Emily in Paris." (Netflix via AP)

Lucas Bravo, from left, Lucien Laviscount, Paul Forman, Ashley Park, Bruno Gouery, Lily Collins, Darren Star, William Abadie, Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu, Arnaud Binard and Samuel Arnold arrive at the premiere of "Emily in Paris" at the Egyptian Theatre, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Ashley Park, from left, Lily Collins and Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu arrive at the premiere of "Emily in Paris" at the Egyptian Theatre, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

This image released by Netflix shows Lily Collins, left, and Lucas Bravo in a scene from "Emily in Paris." (Stephanie Branchu/Netflix via AP)

This image released by Netflix shows Lily Collins in a scene from "Emily in Paris." (Stephanie Branchu/Netflix via AP)

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Three former Memphis police officers charged in the January 2023 beating death of Tyre Nichols stood by his body and laughed after they punched, kicked and hit him with a baton in an attack that a prosecutor says was punishment because he tried to run away.

The former officers are standing trial accused of federal civil rights violations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Rogers said during opening statements Wednesday that the officers were punishing Nichols for fleeing a traffic stop and she used the term “run tax” — police slang for disciplining a subject who tries to escape. She said the force they used did not match Nichols’ actions, and she warned jurors they would see videos of the beating. Footage of the attack was publicly released just weeks after his death.

Rogers also said officers were just standing around in the “crucial” minutes when Nichols' heart stopped.

“You won’t see Tyre Nichols pose a threat to these officers at any time,” Rogers said.

Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith have pleaded not guilty to charges that they deprived the 29-year-old Nichols of his rights through excessive force and failure to intervene, and obstructed justice through witness tampering. Two others, Emmitt Martin III and Desmond Mills Jr., have already pleaded guilty to the federal charges. Rogers said Wednesday that Martin and Mills will testify.

Bean's lawyer, John Keith Perry, began crafting a defense in front of jurors as opening statements continued Wednesday.

Perry said Nichols drove 2 miles (3 kilometers) after the officers put their blue lights on to stop him and was not complying with orders to give them his hands, and that he was “fighting like hell” with police. Perry said video from a sky cop camera would show Nichols acting suspiciously and evidence would show the officers are not guilty.

“The narrative you hear here will take you five minutes to deliberate on,” Perry said.

Nichols, who was Black, died in a hospital on Jan. 10, 2023, three days after he was kicked, punched and hit with a police baton following a traffic stop. Police video released that month showed the five officers, who also are Black, beating Nichols as he yelled for his mother about a block from his home. Video also showed the officers milling about and talking with each other as Nichols sat on the ground, struggling with his injuries.

The officers said Nichols was pulled over for reckless driving, but Memphis’ police chief has said there is no evidence to substantiate that claim.

An autopsy report showed Nichols died from blows to the head and that the manner of death was homicide. The report described brain injuries and cuts and bruises to the head and other areas.

Nichols worked for FedEx, and he enjoyed skateboarding and photography.

“Tyre Nichols’ family have been praying for justice and accountability from the very beginning of this tragedy," Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci, the civil rights attorneys representing Nichols' family, said before proceedings began Wednesday. "Now that the jury has been selected, they pray that the jury will get all of the evidence and render justice for Tyre.”

All five officers belonged to a crime suppression team called the Scorpion Unit. They were all fired for violating Memphis Police Department policies after Nichols’ death and the unit was disbanded.

They were also charged with second-degree murder in state court, where they pleaded not guilty, although Mills and Martin are expected to change their pleas. A trial date in state court has not been set.

On Monday, the judge read a list of potential witnesses that included two other former officers. Preston Hemphill fired his stun gun at the traffic stop scene but didn’t follow Nichols to where other officers pummeled him. Hemphill was fired. Dewayne Smith was the supervising lieutenant who arrived on scene after the beating. He retired instead of being fired.

Associated Press reporter Jonathan Mattise contributed from Nashville, Tennessee.

Former Memphis police officer Tadarrius Bean arrives at the federal courthouse for the second day of jury selection for the trial in the Tyre Nichols case Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Former Memphis police officer Justin Smith arrives at the federal courthouse for the second day of jury selection for the trial in the Tyre Nichols case Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Former Memphis police officer Tadarrius Bean, right, arrives at the federal courthouse with attorney John Keith Perry, right, for the second day of jury selection for the trial in the Tyre Nichols case Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Former Memphis police officer Demetrius Haley arrives at the federal courthouse for the second day of jury selection for the trial in the Tyre Nichols case Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

RowVaughn Wells, left, and Rodney Wells, parents of Tyre Nichols, arrive at the federal courthouse before the start of jury selection of the trial in the Tyre Nichols case Monday, Sept. 9, 2024, in Memphis. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

FILE - The image from video released on Jan. 27, 2023, by the City of Memphis, shows Tyre Nichols during a brutal attack by five Memphis police officers on Jan. 7, 2023, in Memphis, Tenn. (City of Memphis via AP, File)

FILE - This combo of images provided by the Memphis, Tenn., Police Department shows, top row from left, officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, and bottom row from left, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith. (Memphis Police Department via AP, File)

Former Memphis police officer Justin Smith, left, and attorney Martin Zummach, right, arrive at the federal courthouse for the second day of jury selection for the trial in the Tyre Nichols case Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Former Memphis police officer Demetrius Haley arrives at the federal courthouse for the second day of jury selection for the trial in the Tyre Nichols case Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Former Memphis police officer Tadarrius Bean arrives at the federal courthouse for the second day of jury selection for the trial in the Tyre Nichols case Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Opening statements are set in the trial of 3 ex-Memphis officers charged in Tyre Nichols' death

Opening statements are set in the trial of 3 ex-Memphis officers charged in Tyre Nichols' death

FILE - The screen at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans honors Tyre Nichols before an NBA basketball game between the New Orleans Pelicans and the Washington Wizards, Jan. 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton, File)