Lucas Bravo Reveals How A Last-Minute Call Landed Him The Role Of Gabriel In “Emily In Paris”

Lucas Bravo, who plays Gabriel in Emily in Paris, revealed that he almost wasn’t cast in the role. During an interview with PEOPLE, Lucas shared that he initially didn’t land the part of the French chef and love interest of Emily Cooper. 

After five auditions over several months, the studio decided against casting him, citing his lack of experience. Disappointed, Lucas took a break and retreated to the mountains on the French island of Corsica.

“I wanted to be in a place where there’s no service, and I could just talk to birds, so to speak,” he stated.

While on his getaway, Lucas reportedly had an unexpected encounter with a hiker who borrowed his phone to make a call. The hiker later informed him that his phone had been buzzing non-stop once it picked up service. 

“He told me, ‘Your phone was vibrating left and right when I got service, so you should check it out.’ And I was like, ‘No, no, no. I’m here to forget this Emily Paris thing,’” Lucas recalled.

Initially, he ignored it, wanting to forget about the role he missed, but the next morning he decided to check his messages. To his surprise, he found 40 messages and 30 missed calls from the casting director, urgently asking where he was.

Lucas quickly returned to Paris, confused about the situation since another actor had already signed on for the role of Gabriel. Upon arriving, he learned he was being considered for different parts in the show but had to read Gabriel’s lines during auditions. 

This was reportedly tough for Lucas, as he said he still felt the sting of not getting the role. However, during a chemistry read with Lily Collins, things clicked, and the audition went well.

During the meeting, Lucas nervously shared a story about making goat cheese with a shepherd in Corsica, convinced he had blown the opportunity. “I was like, ‘I was in the mountain with this shepherd making goat cheese,’ and I was so uncomfortable I talked about goat cheese for 10 minutes. When I left the room, and I closed the door, I was like, ‘I can’t believe I just talked about goat cheese. You’re never going to get that part,’” he recounted.

To his surprise, the next day, he received a call telling him he got the part, and he’d start in two days. 

The actor later learned that Emily in Paris creator Darren Star had fought for him, believing he was the right fit for Gabriel from the start.