Why Emily in Paris’ Lucas Bravo Rejects His “Heartthrob” Status

While Chef Gabriel serves up looks on Emily in Paris, the actor who plays him is dismissive of his growing status of—as they say in America—a snack.

Season two of the Netflix romantic comedy debuted last week and saw the return of Lucas Bravo‘s character, the hot neighbor and love interest of Emily, played by lead actress Lily Collins. The 33-year-old French actor made his debut on the show’s first season in 2020. The part of Gabriel, partially inspired by Sex and the City‘s Aidan, marks Bravo’s breakout role after small parts in short films and TV shows in his native France.

“I’m, like, this objectified overnight thing…I was just like a heartthrob overnight,” Bravo told the U.K. newspaper The Times about his Emily in Paris-induced fame, in comments posted Tuesday, Dec. 28. “It feels a bit rushed. Too much attention for the quality of work I provided.”

When asked what it’s like being a “heartthrob,” Bravo said, “It made me very self-aware. Because when you think about that word and the people it encapsulates, you see always a healthy, good-looking, ripped person — and I’m not that.”