“We’re Frenchies Now”: Christina Milian On Raising Kids In Paris

Christina Milian has found her groove in Paris, and she’s thriving. The 43-year-old actress, who stars as a young Maria LaGuerta in Dexter: Original Sins, moved to the French capital last year with her husband, singer Matt Pokora, and their three children. After years of splitting her time between Los Angeles and Paris, Milian says the slower pace of French life is suiting her perfectly.

“It’s great,” Christina tells PEOPLE of her Parisian lifestyle. 

“My daytime, I get to do the family stuff. I work out. I do my self-care thing. I cook dinner. Usually things really kind of get started [for work] around 7 p.m., where it’s like phone calls and stuff, and I’m making dinner,” she added.

The time difference between Paris and Los Angeles makes for an interesting work schedule. While most of her day is dedicated to her family — 14-year-old Violet, from her previous relationship with The-Dream, and 4-year-old Isaiah, and 3-year-old Kenna, with Pokora—her evenings are a mix of mom duty and Hollywood hustle.

While she admits that dinner can be stressful, as she’s cooking while handling work as L.A. wakes up, she gets all good and fully focused on business by the time it’s 8:30 a.m.

Despite the occasional chaos, Christina loves the balance her new lifestyle provides. “Being a parent is not easy. That’s a huge job… I love it. You can fill your whole day with everything you need,” she shared.

The move to Paris feels like more than a temporary chapter for the family. “But I do think we’ll stay [in Paris] for a long time and that’s really going to be a landmark place for us. to stay most of our lives,” Christina shares, adding, “My kids go to school there. I want the kids to continue speaking the language. It’s easy to switch to English all the time. So it’s nice that my daughter loves school there. We’re Frenchies.”

Christina herself is embracing the language, revealing that she’s about 60% fluent. “I do speak French,” she says with pride, hinting at her determination to fully integrate into her new home.

Her Parisian base hasn’t slowed her career. The actress recalls auditioning for Dexter: Original Sins at 2 a.m. Paris time. “My kids are sleeping, my husband’s sleeping. I’m doing this audition in the kitchen,” she stated.

Her dedication paid off. “They made their decisions pretty quick. To get the call within the week was wild. I was so excited. It was a great phone call to get,” she recalled.

As for her future in the U.S., Christina isn’t in a rush to return. According to her, her family “is everywhere.”