Emily Cooper’s already-enviable life abroad may be getting even glitzier: Royalty will enter the mix in Emily in Paris Season 5. After production kicked off in Rome, Variety reported on May 14 that past Academy Award nominee Minnie Driver has joined the cast as a new royal character. Official confirmation from Netflix and Driver soon followed.
Meet Princess Jane
Driver’s character, Jane, married into a royal family, but the specific one hasn’t been revealed. She has a connection to Emily (Lily Collins) through her friendship with Emily’s boss, Sylie (Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu). The two have already filmed Season 5 scenes together; What’s on Netflix posted photos of Driver and Leroy-Beaulieu on May 12, joined by Raoul Bova, who plays Sylie’s Italian love interest, Giancarlo.
After Variety reported on her casting, Driver celebrated on social media. “It’s why I’m in Rome!” she wrote, in part, in an Instagram caption on May 14. She went on to add that she’s “BEYOND thrilled to be joining this sensational cast and show.”
In real life, Driver and Collins are the ones who have a long-standing personal connection. Driver shared that they met through Collins’ musician father, Phil Collins, when she voiced Jane in 1999’s Tarzan and he composed songs for the film.
“Did you know I’ve known the sweet angel that is @lilyjcollins since she was 11? Because, her dad: Tarzan( sort of) and Me: Jane,” Driver wrote.
Driver’s resume includes several other films of note. She was nominated for an Oscar for her performance in 1997’s Good Will Hunting and is also known for her roles in The Phantom of the Opera and Owning Mahowny. Plus, she’s an Emmy and Golden Globe nominee for The Riches and previously starred in another Netflix project, the miniseries The Witcher: Blood Origin.
Kicking Off Emily In Paris Season 5
Season 4 surprised fans by setting Emily up for adventures in a new city. It seems to be working out for Driver, who gushed about her “beloved” Rome in her May 14 Instagram caption. She also teased Emily in Paris Season 5 with a string of four emojis: sparkles, person cartwheeling, heart with arrow, and rose.
The show’s creator, Darren Star, has promised they’re not leaving Paris behind, and, in fact, production will return to the French capital this summer. “Emily’s going to have a presence in Rome,” Star said, per Netflix’s Tudum. “It doesn’t mean she’s not going to be in Paris, but she’s going to have a presence in Rome.”
