- - “Emily in Paris”' Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu on the Moment Sylvie's 'Armor Breaks' in Season 5 (Exclusive)

Colleen KratofilDecember 21, 2025 at 7:00 AM

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Caroline Dubois/Netflix

Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu as Sylvie Grateau in episode 501 of 'Emily in Paris'

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Emily in Paris season 5

Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu opens up to PEOPLE about Emily in Paris season 5

The French actress gets candid about her character's most sentimental scene and what she wants more of if the show returns for another season

Emily in Paris season 5 is streaming now on Netflix

Emily Cooper and Sylvie Grateau have come a long way!

As fans of Emily in Paris know, the fashion marketing executive Sylvie (played by Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu) has not been the kindest to her American expat colleague, Emily (Lily Collins). But a lot has changed in five seasons.

At the end of season 5, streaming now on Netflix, Sylvie has one of the most poignant hear-to-hearts with Emily during a scene in Venice, Italy. Sylvie tears up as she reflects on Emily's bright future ahead of her, working in-house for her boyfriend Marcello Muratori's luxury cashmere brand.

"You can be the next Miuccia Prada," Sylvie tells Emily. "They'd be lucky to have you, I know I was. Very much."

Even though Emily chooses to return to Paris instead, Sylvie was ready to see her fly the nest. When PEOPLE caught up with Leroy-Beaulieu while onboard the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express with the cast, and she couldn't quite believe how far her character has come either.

Caroline Dubois/Netflix

Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu as Sylvie Grateau and Lily Collins as Emily in episode 506 of 'Emily in Paris'

"It did change a lot," Leroy-Beaulieu, 62, says of the relationship between Sylvie and Emily. "She went from being very wary of Emily to realizing then that she needed her. It was very pragmatic at a certain point, but then, yeah, she has feelings. She has feelings and she sees this young woman trying to go through life. I think she feels the solitude too. I feel that Emily's... oh, she has a friend, she has boyfriends, but there's something in her that's kind of wounded, and probably Sylvie sees that, because she's also somebody that's had probably a lot of things to cope with in her life, so she feels for her."

To put it simply: "She's like a cat," the actress explains. "Cat moms, they kind of [swat] their cubs. [Sylvie] can be very harsh, but it's her way of showing her love. I think she's even surprised by the fact that she has feelings for Emily. It's very unconscious, but sometimes it kind of comes out. That's why this season is really a moment where the armor breaks, and she doesn't control that at all."

During the season, viewers see growth for Sylvie in other ways, including her personal life. She navigates a tricky situation in her marriage, when her husband confronts her Italian lover (and in true Sylvie fashion, she escapes by fleeing from their drama via speed boat).

She also reconnects with an old friend Yvette (played by French actress Michèle Laroque), but their friendship doesn't last long after Sylvie accidentally sleeps with Yvette's son.

"It was fun, because first of all, the boy is beautiful," says Leroy-Beaulieu. "Second of all, he's adorable. He's really nice, so it was fun to do, and knowing what the situation is, it's even more exciting, because you know it's going to go [south]..."

Caroline Dubois/Netflix

Samuel Arnold as Julien, Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu as Sylvie Grateau, Bruno Gouery as Luc in 'Emily in Paris' season 5

For Leroy-Beaulieu, she hopes for more adventures like this if there's a season 6. "I want her to have a lot of problems. I want [creator] Darren [Star] to put me through terrible adventures."

Star says he loves "pulling the rug out from underneath Sylvie in comedic ways." Adding, "It's so much fun to do, and Philippine plays it so well, also. You love to see a character that thinks she's got it all together have to confront something that kind of pulls the rug out from under her."

While Leroy-Beaulieu certainly looks as chic as Sylvie throughout the season 5 press tour, she says she can't identify much with her on-screen persona.

"There's nothing," she says when asked how they're similar. "[Sylvie's] taught me a lot, I have to say. But no, we're not similar at all."

Star cuts in to add a few examples that he sees: "Intelligence. Strength. I think Philippine is strong. [Their] sense of style."

Emily in Paris season 5 is streaming now on Netflix.

on People

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”