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Sacré bleu! Malcolm McDowell says he’s not a fan of Emily in Paris, even though his daughter-in-law Lily Collins is the star of the show.

“To be honest with you, it’s not my kind of thing, and Lily knows that,” McDowell told People recently.

McDowell is related to Collins through the marriage of filmmaker Charlie McDowell, his son with ex-wife Mary Steenburgen. Collins, the daughter of musician Phil Collins and former teacher Jill Tavelman, married the younger McDowell in 2021, and the spouses welcomed their first child via surrogacy earlier this year.

Despite his distaste for Emily in Paris, McDowell only had rave reviews for Collins. “I’m the biggest fan of my daughter-in-law. I think she’s absolutely one of the great actresses,” the Clockwork Orange actor said. “She has such a beautiful quality. … As far as I’m concerned, when she’s on the screen, there’s nobody else on it, because she’s not only a good actress, but she has a beautiful quality.”

Plus, McDowell says Paris owes his daughter-in-law “a great debt” for bringing in so much tourism. “I’m sure [it] has gone up so much from people in the United States watching and going, ‘Yeah, let’s go to Paris,’” he said.

Emily in Paris has ventured out of the City of Light and even out of the country of France in recent seasons, however. Season 4 took the action to Rome while Season 5 — the production of which was just halted after the death of an assistant director — is filming in Venice.

The show’s fifth season will start streaming on Thursday, December 18, while Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu (Sylvie Grateau), Ashley Park (Mindy Chen), Lucas Bravo (Gabriel), Samuel Arnold (Julien), Bruno Gouery (Luc), William Abadie (Antoine Lambert), Lucien Laviscount (Alfie), Eugenio Franceschini (Marcello), and Thalia Besson (Genevieve) returning alongside Collins.

“Now the head of Agence Grateau Rome, Emily faces professional and romantic challenges as she adapts to life in a new city,” Netflix says in a synopsis of the fifth outing. “But just as everything falls into place, a work idea backfires, and the fallout cascades into heartbreak and career setbacks. Seeking stability, Emily leans into her French lifestyle, until a big secret threatens one of her closest relationships. Tackling conflict with honesty, Emily emerges with deeper connections, renewed clarity, and a readiness to embrace new possibilities.”

Emily in Paris, Season 5 Premiere, Thursday, December 18, Netflix

24 August 2025

Malcolm McDowell doesn’t watch his daughter-in-law Lily Collins in Emily in Paris.

Malcolm McDowell doesn’t watch Lily Collins in Emily in Paris

The 82-year-old actor’s son Charlie McDowell is married to Lily but he confessed that he has no interest in watching her in the Netflix series.

Malcolm told People: “To be honest with you, it’s not my kind of thing, and Lily knows that.

“But I’m the biggest fan of my daughter-in-law. I think she’s absolutely one of the great actresses.”

The A Clockwork Orange star hailed the “beautiful aura” that Lily, who is the daughter of musician Phil Collins, possesses which makes her standout on the screen.

He said: “She has such a beautiful quality.

“As far as I’m concerned, when she’s on the screen, there’s nobody else on it, because she’s not only a good actress, but she has a beautiful quality. I suppose, it’s a sort of charisma.”

Even though he doesn’t watch Emily in Paris, Malcolm believes that the French capital owes “a great debt” to Lily, 36, for the tourism she has brought in thanks to the series.

He said: “I’m sure (it) has gone up so much from people in the United States watching and going, ‘Yeah, let’s go to Paris.'”

It isn’t the first time that Malcolm has waxed lyrical about his daughter-in-law as he suggested last year that Lily has similar qualities to Breakfast at Tiffany’s icon Audrey Hepburn.

He said: “Lily is absolutely a star. I’m in awe of her work. I think she’s one of the best young actresses around.

“I love watching her — she’s got that Audrey Hepburn kind of thing going, which is indefinable in a way, but it’s there.”

McDowell added: “There’s a sort of light that shines behind the eyes somehow. She’s really fantastic. And she’s just like that, by the way — when you meet her, she’s what you meet and what you see is what you get. She’s delightful.”

Malcolm also explained that he doesn’t see his son and daughter-in-law as regularly as he would like because he lives in the US while they are based in Europe.

He said: “They’re both wonderful people. I don’t see enough of them. They live in Europe a lot of the time, so I don’t really see them that much, but when I see them, it’s always great to just hang.”

McDowell

Malcolm McDowell Talks Emily in Paris, Starring Lily Collins

Malcolm McDowell never watches daughter-in-law Lily Collins in Emily in Paris