Meet Samuel Arnold, who plays Julien in Emily in Paris – aka the frenemy of Lily Collins’ character

Emily in Paris’ highly anticipated season five premiered on December 18, and fans are eagerly diving into adventures of marketing executive Emily Cooper (Lily Collins) in Paris, and more recently in Rome. And Samuel Arnold is the French actor bringing sharp suits and a sharper side‑eye to the show’s snarky but loyal PR executive Julien.\n\nIn season one, we saw Emily and Julien navigate a rivalry that quickly turns into a platonic frenemy situation.\nHere’s everything you need to know about Samuel Arnold.\nHe grew up in Paris and trained for the stage\n\nBorn in Paris in 1991, Arnold fell in love with the arts early on, from theatre and drawing to music and film. Per culture publication Euphoria Magazine, the 34-year-old initially trained as a dancer before shifting gears to acting. He attended the École Internationale de Création Audiovisuelle et de Réalisation and the Giles Foreman Centre for Acting in London.\nArnold made his on-screen debut in 2016 in the French TV movie Tuer un Homme and has also acted in theatre productions like Antony & Cleopatra at the National Theatre, which was filmed live and released in 2018.\nEmily in Paris was his breakthrough\n\nIn an interview about season three with Grazia magazine, Arnold described his life before and after landing Emily in Paris as different as “night and day”. The actor said the role has opened new avenues for him, with “way more opportunities” available.\nHowever, he admitted that the best part about his role is playing a character that couldn’t be more different from himself. “The way he is, this character, and his behaviour, it’s so far from me, so it was a bit of a challenge, but it’s so, so, so enjoyable for an actor to be able to create a character like that,” he explained.\nHe’s worked behind the scenes\n\nAfter five years of Emily in Paris, Arnold is also exploring career opportunities behind the camera. He made his executive producer debut with his short film, Nolan’s Treasure, starring himself.\n“I would love to act, produce, direct, do everything that I can with my time on Earth. I really view myself as an artist, and I think that storytelling is the best thing an artist can do,” he told Grazia magazine.\n