Lily Collins says season 2 of 'Emily in Paris' will focus on 'diversity and inclusion' in response to criticism

• Diversity will be a focus on season two of "Emily in Paris," Lily Collins told Elle.
• The lead actress and producer said there will be increased representation in the cast and the crew.

The creative team behind "Emily in Paris" prioritized increased representation on the Netflix comedy's forthcoming second season in response to criticism that the first lacked diversity.

On Monday, Lily Collins, who serves as a producer on Darren Star's show, in addition to playing the titular role, told Elle that she kept up with the conversations (both positive and negative) surrounding the series' debut season, particularly those surrounding representation.

"For me as Emily, but also as a producer on [the show], after season one, hearing people's thoughts, concerns, questions, likes, dislikes, just feelings about it, there were certain things that spoke to the time that we're living in and what's right, and moral and correct and should be done. And [that was] something that I felt passionate about," Collins said.

She continued: "[The producers] all believed in the same things. And I really wanted diversity and inclusion in front of and behind the camera to be something that we really put our focus on, in a lot of ways."

On the first season of "Emily in Paris," the majority of the lead characters are white - from Emily to Camille (Camille Razat) to Gabriel (Lucas Bravo) to Sylvie (Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu).

The more diverse players, such as the protagonist's coworker Julian (Samuel Arnold) and her friend Mindy (Ashley Park), are in supporting roles that exist secondary to Emily.

Going into season two, Collins hinted at "giving new storylines to different characters" and "hiring new people in front of the camera." The actress did not, however, specify which characters will get more screen time.

Going into the show's sophomore season, there are several confirmed additions to the "Emily in Paris" roster. In May, Netflix announced the arrival of new cast members Lucien Laviscount, Jeremy O. Harris, and Arnaud Binard.

And, according to Harris, Collins made the newcomer feel welcome from the very first day he stepped on the "Emily in Paris" set in France.

The Tony-nominated playwright, who guest-stars as a fashion designer in the upcoming episodes, recently told Nylon that there was a miscommunication in the set's beauty department that kept him from getting the haircare he needed "as a Black performer."

Word of the situation eventually reached Collins, who sprang into action.

"When Lily found out she was like, 'You do know I'm a producer, right?' and immediately went into producer mode, texting and calling everyone, making sure that I felt comfortable for my first day on set," Harris recalled, later adding, "It's such a delight to meet actresses who want to be advocates for people with less privilege or less power than them."

Season two of "Emily in Paris" premieres on Netflix on December 22.