Lucas Bravo on Emily in Paris Season 5, HBO’s The Seduction

Since breaking out globally five years ago as Gabriel — the hunky French chef in Netflix’s hit romantic comedy “Emily in Paris” — Lucas Bravo has worked hard to defy typecasting, seeking edgier and darker roles.

To wit, he stars as the morally corrupt Comte de Gercourt in “The Seduction,” HBO Max’s limited series loosely based on “Dangerous Liaisons.” But Bravo tells Variety that he’s also learned to embrace the escapism of “Emily in Paris,” adding that he “wanted to bring back a fun Gabriel” in the upcoming fifth season, after a “gloomy” phase that he famously said was turning the character into guacamole.

The 37-year-old native of Nice was working as a sous-chef when he auditioned for series creator Darren Star. Bravo says he isn’t in a rush to make it in Hollywood, even if he has warm memories of starring alongside George Clooney and Julia Roberts in “Ticket to Paradise.”

“She smiles, and rainbows and butterflies appear around you,” reminisces Bravo of Roberts. He also calls Lily Collins, the title star of “Emily in Paris” and his on-screen lover (sometimes!), a “genius.”

“The Seduction” premieres on HBO Max Nov. 14 and Season 5 of “Emily in Paris” drops on Netflix Dec. 18. Here, Bravo talks about both — and more.

In the teaser for the new season of “Emily in Paris” you look completely Californian, with big muscles and highlights. What happened to Gabriel?

I think Gabriel is going back to what he was in Season 1. I think all of us wanted to bring back a fun Gabriel. I hope we addressed the demand!

CAROLINE DUBOIS/NETFLIX

In an interview, you said that you liked Season 4 because your character was more proactive, but you started looking very depressed to me.

My character was proactive in the first half, and then the second half was a bit gloomy. When I did that [guacamole] interview, I was referring to my love for the character in the first half! I think any actor is always happy to have fun parts to play.

You’ve become the epitome of the French lover. How has it been to become that man while also chasing different types of roles?

It’s five years of a career that started on Season 1, and me trying to understand what it means, what being in the public eye means, what growing with the character means. Nobody likes labels, but I love the fact that people connected to this character a certain way, and I completely accept it.

With “The Seduction,” “The Balconettes” and “Libre,” you’ve played all the dark sides of masculinity. Are you trying to make a point about men?

I think we’re complex human beings. We all have dark sides, a little frustration somewhere, a wound from the past. But we live in a society where everything has to be perfect and we have less and less room for error or second chances. It’s important to show that there are a lot of gray areas in human beings. That’s also where the industry is going — more nuance, richer storytelling.

You have said that on “Emily in Paris” there was no room for improvisation because it’s a big U.S. production. How was it to shoot “The Seduction,” which is an HBO show but is directed by a French filmmaker, Jessica Palud?

You can improvise a bit on “Emily.” If you have a conversation with Darren, he’s open to ideas and improvisation. This masterpiece “Les Liaisons Dangereuses” has been adapted so many times. By choosing to make my character more prominent than he is in the novel, I was given the opportunity to repaint a part of something that’s existed for centuries. Jessica, our director, completely opened the door for me to go as crazy as possible. I wanted him to be like a snake. Bad guys are scarier when they’re really calm and you don’t see them coming. You fear the moment they’re going to explode. Gercourt is very calm until he tries to strangle you on a marble fireplace or rape you. I wanted his eyes to spark that fear more than his physicality. The weird thing is when you have to go home and remind yourself that you’re a good person.

Your character in “Emily in Paris,” Gabriel, is a bit too perfect. Don’t you think?

Your words, not mine. I don’t know. There’s a lot of things he did that are questionable, I think, but it’s not for me to judge.

Speaking of Darren Star, did you have “Sex and the City” in mind when you auditioned for “Emily in Paris”?

“Sex and the City” started my sexual education. I was so young when I watched it and I was like, “Oh, wow, those are the things you can or cannot do as a man.”

How was it to work with two Hollywood legends, George Clooney and Julia Roberts, on “Ticket to Paradise”?

It was honestly the most amazing experience of my life because it was the beginning. I think I had done just one season of “Emily” and one movie with Isabelle Huppert and Jason Isaacs. I arrived on that set with those icons. George and Julia have been pivotal in my career ever since because they took me under their wing — protected me, guided me, provided me with amazing advice. I still see George. We still talk on the phone.

Because he lives in France, right?

Yes, he lives in France now. I was lucky enough to visit him in Provence. He’s just a good friend. To have someone that generous, that established, that benevolent taking you under his wing is the most amazing godfather you could have in this industry.

Did he give you any good career advice?

He gave me a bunch, but he never gives it unless you ask. The biggest advice he gave me wasn’t literal — it was by observing him. On “Ticket to Paradise,” I realized his only goal in a scene is to make his partner shine. Most actors come in thinking, “I need to take my space.” George’s attention is always on, “What can I do to make the person in front of me shine?” By doing so, he shines naturally. You can have a completely selfless performance, and that makes your performance even better. That I got from George.

And how was it to play Julia Roberts’ lover?

Julia — she smiles and rainbows and butterflies appear around you. She’s just the kindest. I call her woman No. 1. There was Julia, and then they created the others. She’s an angel, and she has a sense of humor that really cracks me up. She’s the funniest.

How has it been to star opposite Lily Collins in “Emily in Paris”?

Lily — I don’t think I’ve ever worked with someone that professional. She raises the bar to a level I’ve never seen before. She made me a better actor in terms of her presence on set, the way she learns lines, delivers lines, participates in everything. She sees everything. She has a radar. Even when she looks like she’s reading something, she always has something smart to contribute that moves the narrative forward. I think she’s a genius — but don’t tell her that, she won’t acknowledge it.

Are you going to audition for “The White Lotus”?

I think the entire country called their agent to be on “The White Lotus.” We’ll see how things unravel, but anybody would be lucky to be on such a brilliant show.

What’s your next project?

There’s a movie [Gilles de Maistre’s “Melodie for a Bear”] I just wrapped in August in Montreal, where I play a bear wrangler. It’s a beautiful story about a father and a daughter reconnecting. I had to be there for three months and get used to bears. I had to learn how to play violin. It was a pretty intense exercise, but I left with bear friends. I know how to handle them, how to feed them, how to sleep next to them. I’m excited for this movie to come out. It’s a beautiful one set in the Canadian forest — a lot of bears, a lot of me with ripped-off shirts because of the bear claws.