Emily in Paris cast at the start of their careers: see epic throwback photos

When she was just 20 years old, Lily landed her breakthrough role in the 2009 sports drama, The Blindside. The actress starred alongside Sandra Bullock in the moving movie, which tells the story of Michael Oher, a homeless Black teenager who became a top football player for the NFL after being taken in by a well-to-do white family. 

Since then, Lily has starred in a wide range of films and shows, from biopics Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile and Tolkien, to the BBC's adaptation of Les Misérables.

Long before playing Sylvie Grateau in Emily in Paris, Philippine made her screen debut in the 1983 comedy-drama film, Surprise Party, in the role of Anne Lambert.

Here, a fresh-faced Sylvie shows off her signature curly locks as she poses alongside her co-star, Christian Vadim. From there, she went on to star in a wide range of French films, including the 1985 comedy Three Men and a Cradle, for which she received a nomination for the César Award for Most Promising Actress. 

Broadway star Ashley – aka Mindy Chen – made her name on the stage, starring in Broadway productions of Mamma Mia!, The King and I, and Sunday in the Park with George before breaking into the TV scene. 

While she made her professional theatre debut in the 2009 production of Miss Saigon at the Music Theatre Wichita, the image above shows Ashley in 2015, behind the scenes of the Broadway revival of The King and I, in which she played the role of Tuptim. 

Since then, Ashley has starred in a number of musicals and even originated the role of Gretchen Wieners in the Broadway adaptation of Mean Girls, which earned her a Tony Award nomination. 

A star of both the stage and screen, Bruno appeared in various French films, TV shows and theatre productions before gaining widespread recognition for his role as Luc in Emily in Paris. Nowadays, the 49-year-old rocks the silver fox look but when he was younger, he donned dark curls. Check them out in his throwback Instagram post. 

After appearing in Emily in Paris, Bruno landed a role in the second season of HBO's hit drama, The White Lotus, for which he and his co-stars won the 2023 Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.

Lucien Laviscount is perhaps best known to US viewers for playing Earl Grey in Scream Queens or Alfie in Emily in Paris, but UK fans will remember his early roles in iconic British soaps such as Coronation Street, Grange Hill and Waterloo Road.

The Lancashire lad was just 17 years old when he landed the part of Sophie Webster's boyfriend, Ben Richardson in Coronation Street, a role he played after portraying Jake Briggs in Grange Hill.

From there, he went on to appear in various major TV shows, from Shameless and Episodes to Skins. In recent years, he's appeared in the main cast of Scream Queens, Snatch, Katy Keene, and of course, Emily in Paris.

French actress Camille gained recognition almost ten years ago when she starred in the 2015 France 2 drama The Disappearance, which was broadcast on the BBC the following year. 

The 30-year-old, who plays Gabriel's ex Camille in Emily in Paris, portrayed missing teen Léa Morel in the police thriller. She's since appeared in several French films, including the dark comedy, Girls with Balls.

While we know him as hunky chef Gabriel in Emily in Paris, Lucas first burst onto French TV screens as Jeff in the 2013 TV series, Sous le soleil de Saint-Tropez.

The actor went on to star in two other French TV shows before landing his role in the hit Netflix shows. He also appeared in the 2022 comedy film, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, and in the same year, played Paul in the rom-com Ticket to Paradise, starring Julia Roberts and George Clooney.