Rupert Everett claims that he was “fired” from Emily in Paris.
Everett, 66, made his debut as Italian fashion designer Giorgio Barbieri in season 4 of the hit Netflix series, but the actor claimed to Vanity Fair in an interview published on Tuesday, July 29, that he won’t be returning to the show.
“I was fired,” Everett alleged to the outlet, adding, “I did a scene in the latest season, and they told me, ‘Next year we’ll speak.’ I waited for them to call me — but ultimately, it never came, and they just fired me.”
He added, “Show business is always very difficult, from the beginning to the end. When they write the screenplay, they think they want you — but then things change, and they lose your character. I don’t know why. For me, it was a tragedy. I was in bed for two weeks because I couldn’t get over it.”
Us Weekly has reached out to Netflix for comment.
Meanwhile, a “source close to the production” told Vanity Fair that Everett had been hired in a guest-star capacity and that his character’s story line had come “to a conclusion.”
Everett, perhaps best known for his role as Julia Roberts’ sidekick in My Best Friend’s Wedding, is not the only actor to be written out of the series created by Darren Star and centered around the adventures of plucky American Emily Cooper (Lily Collins).
Along with Everett, Camille Razat won’t appear in season 5. Since the show’s 2020 premiere, she had played a gallerist (also named Camille) who befriended Emily and dated chef Gabriel (Lucas Bravo), leading to tension as Gabriel and Emily experienced feelings for each other. Star, 64, appeared to confirm Razat’s exit in a TVLine interview circa September 2024.
“Characters can come in and out of a series, but you don’t necessarily have to see them,” he told the outlet at the time. “We may or may not. I don’t know how much of Camille we’ll see next season. But again, she’s part of the world of the series. I’m not sure how soon we’ll see her, but it doesn’t mean, again, that we won’t be seeing her.”
Other departures from the series include: Kate Walsh as Madeline, Emily’s boss from Chicago; Charles Martins as Mathieu, an Emily love interest; and Thalia Besson as Genevieve, who formed a bond with Gabriel and worked in Emily’s office, which made things awkward.
The last season ended with Emily relocating to Rome for her job and sparking a new romance with Marcello (Eugenio Franceschini).
“I feel like it just expands the universe of the show,” Star told TVLine of Emily’s move to the Eternal City. “Just at the point that Emily has gotten comfortable in Paris, she’s sort of thrown into another country where she’s going to experience some cultural differences. And also, I think there’s cultural differences to explore — and we do — between French and Italians. It’s a whole new world, but it doesn’t mean that we’re leaving Paris.”
