With the return of Emily in Paris for season 4, fans now have the latest on Emily’s love triangle—Which hot man who happened into her life will she choose? Both her career and love life have been in flux for multiple seasons now, but as we get more of Emily’s fantastical Parisian life, there’s newness too. Like Nicolas de Leon, who was introduced last season and has already become a fan fave.
As Netflix’s Tudum explains, Nicolas—who's played by actor Paul Forman—works for his family’s conglomerate, JVMA, and this “dashing exec is desperate to prove himself as more than a nepotism baby under the crushing pressure of the de Leons’ famous wealth and status.” Emily and Nicolas find that they have an “unexpected personal connection,” AKA Mindy. His on-screen chemistry also translated off-screen as Paul is in a v adorable relationship with Ashley Park.
So! Here's everything you need to know about the man behind Nicolas, Paul Forman.
He’s British and French.
His Instagram bio reads, “The Frenchest Englishman.” Sooo…an IRL combo of Gabriel and Alfie?
You May Have Seen Him in Other Shows
Paul has had a busy few years, so you may have spotted him onscreen before. The actor appeared in the Starz series The Spanish Princess in 2020, the Amazon Prime Video show Frank of Ireland in 2021, the show Riches in 2022. He was also in Disney+'s Doctor Who reboot and could honestly pass as a Bridgerton sibling:
He's Dating His Emily in Paris Co-Star, Ashley Park, IRL
That's right! Nicolas and Mindy's connection on-screen became a real-life one for Paul and Ashley. In her September 2024 Cosmo cover story, Ashley opened up about their relationship, saying, "I mean, let’s face it, he’s eye candy. So I was also like, 'Oh my god, definitely not. I am past that. I would never fall for someone who looks that impeccable. So we were just friends. Very platonically, we would hang out. Then I was invited by the International Medical Corps to go and volunteer with Ukrainian refugees in Poland. It was going to be a whole week in Poland and I didn't want to do it alone, so I thought, You know who should come with me, because literally we are just good friends, is Paul."
She continued, "We went on that trip to Poland. Watching him play chess with these children who did not have a home and acting like this father figure to them because their fathers were at war, watching him be so present, it was amazing. So I had to do a little loss-of-dignity tour. I had to be like, 'Lily, everyone, we are so in love.' That was about two years ago."
Love! Them!
Paul Is Also a Model
It becomes abundantly clear after taking a look at his Instagram that Paul is also a model. In a May 2021 interview with Chromatica magazine, he said his dream modeling job would be a campaign for Calvin Klein. According to the feature, he appeared on the covers of Attitude and Desnudo and worked with brands including Cartier and Clarins.
He’s Most Passionate About Acting, Though
Paul explained in the Chromatica interview that if he had to choose one pursuit, it’d be acting. “‘Breaking into’ the acting world is the single hardest challenge of my entire life,” he said. “I still don’t consider myself truly in it and perhaps I never will, as there are no guarantees that I will work. It could be 5 to 10 years until my next job.”
He Wrote a Play!
Paul told Chromatica that he wrote a play and he was hoping to perform it soon in London.
“I don’t want to reveal too much,” he said, “but it’s my first play and it’s the story of a man living with grief. I often feel that the subject is often dramatized and misrepresented in the entertainment industry. From what I personally have witnessed, it is very different from all the films, shows, and plays, so I wanted to tell a story close to my heart, which truly shows what it is to live with grief.”