Melia Kreiling’s Sofia Is the Best New Addition to Emily in Paris

Melia Kreiling knows how to make an entrance, be it on Zoom or in Emily in Paris. In the latter, she plays Sofia Sideris, a gorgeous Greek artist who comes to Paris to show at Camille’s gallery—and who ends up falling for the headstrong blonde; the two then engage in a hot-and-heavy romance. Only problem is (spoiler alert if you're not caught up), Camille's in a relationship (and engaged!) to Gabriel, and they're expecting a baby. 

As for our Zoom, Kreiling has just flown to Greece from France, and before that, Los Angeles, where she was packing up her life as she prepares to move with her rescue dog, Uzo, to New York in the New Tear. “It's 8 p.m. here in Athens, and I've had a very long, crazy 10 days, so I'm having a glass of wine,” she says with a laugh. “It will be good for our Zoom.” 

The half-Greek, half-American 32-year-old actor was recently in Paris for the season-three world premiere of Emily, which was the first time the cast was able to have a proper premiere because of the pandemic. “I've never seen anything like it,” Kreiling—who also stars as James Corden's wife in the recently released drama series Mammals, on Prime Video—says. “It was like the opening of a new theme park. They went all out. There was one fashion catwalk and then there was another red carpet inside with a different backdrop. And then there were street artists inside and a variety show with singers and dancers. It was like an explosion of color.”

In many ways, it was kind of like Sofia's entrance on the show, which majorly shook things up for several core characters. But what's in store for season four? 

For the latest installment of Glamour's New Here, Kreiling reveals the serendipitous way her role came about, her nerve-racking first scene, and the iconic pop star she wanted to be when she was growing up.

Glamour: How did the role of Sofia come about?

Melia Kreiling: It was a little bit like cosmic magic because I was in Athens…and there was a huge art exhibition on this little island of Hydra. As I'm walking out the door to go there, I see an email from my agent that says, “Hey, take a look at this.” And the description read, “Sofia Sideris, artist, lives in Hydra, and comes to Paris to exhibit at Camille's gallery.” And I'm going, “Wait, am I getting punked right now? There's no way this is happening, I'm on the island that they're writing about. I'm there for an art opening.” And so I just reply, “Done.” It was really a fun, serendipitous kind of thing.

Wow. And then what happened? 

I put myself on tape, but I had to figure out how to do a Greek accent. Everyone assumes I can do a Greek accent because I'm half Greek, but I've grown up bilingual. A Greek accent is actually the hardest accent for me to do. So I'm sitting there training my mouth to roll the R’s and all that stuff. But it was a really fun process for me.

Did you have a chemistry read with Camille Razat, who plays Camille on the show? 

No, but as soon as we met, we had such an immediate connection. It was great. She's fantastic. She's really fun to work with.

Did Darren Star tell you that Sofia was going to be this potential love interest for Camille?

It was hinted at in the description ever so slightly. So I kind of maybe imagined it, that there might be a bit of an interest thing there.

And while you had never met Camille before, you did guest-star on The Last Tycoon, which starred Lily Collins. 

I was! I met Lily a couple of times since we were in a couple big group scenes together. She was just so beautiful and sweet. But I didn't have any personal one-on-one time with her working. So it was fun to see her again here.

In season one of Emily, it was hinted that maybe Camille was interested in both men and women because she kisses Emily and says, “I'm not sorry about that.” So now that it's established Camille has feelings for Sofia, what do you hope happens between the two of them? 

I haven't had conversations with anybody past this season. So this would just be me sort of answering on the spot here, but I think Sofia is in this really fun position where we leave her, where she doesn't have anything weighing her down and can pursue Camille—as long as Camille of course is open to it.

But the way it ends, to me, seems like Sofia has managed to get a glimpse of Camille's inner workings in a way that might be giving her the encouragement to say something like, “Well, I love Paris and I plan on being back here a lot.” Not in a stalker way, but in a “I want to be around and see if this can be something” kind of way. And I think that's a pretty brave thing to do. It's not that easy to be that confident anymore with people. In my own dating life, it's not that easy to be like, “Hey, I want you, and I'm going to try and make this happen.” So I really like that about Sofia and I hope that she acts on that a little bit and tries to show Camille that she's really special in her eyes, that she is beautiful.

We’ve seen queer characters on the show before, but this is the first time that we actually have a same-sex relationship front and center with a main character. How meaningful is that to you?

I very purposely tried not to think about that while we were filming because then that creates a pressure that doesn't necessarily serve the storyline. But especially after the premiere, seeing in person the incredible devotion the fans have for this show, that's when it really started to click for me that, wow, there's probably going to be reaction to this and I cannot for the life of me figure out what it will be. But I think the most important thing for me…and I'm pretty sure I could speak for Camille as well, was the focus on telling a real story of beautiful, young, fresh, natural flirtation and a real attraction at its very core. And not for the purpose of provoking or making a statement or anything like that. If anything, they both have to be discreet for their own reasons. So it's a very real tender attraction that's happening moment by moment. And that's what we focused on telling. The most important part of it is that it's two people who are just really, really caught by surprise, by their own reaction to one another. To me, that's a fairy-tale kind of feeling when you're not expecting it and it comes out of the blue and takes your breath away. 

Did you and Camille talk about a couples name? 

I didn't, but I should call her right now and ask her like, “Hey, we didn't come up with our own shipping name.” Should I text her? I'm going to text her…

Cafia? Somille?

I'd be so honored if you do that. Somille is great. I will be very flattered if they come up with a name for us.

Camille is such a headstrong, fierce character. And I feel like she really meets her match with Sofia. I don't see that as much with Camille and Gabriel, which makes me think fans are going to love the two of you together.

From your mouth to the TV god's ears. She directs things at her in a straightforward way. I think Camille is excited by that. Sofia just goes, “Hey, I'm here, and I like you and I'm not looking around.”

At the very end when we find out that Camille is pregnant, my first thought was, Is it Sofia’s baby? [Laughs.] I mean, plot twist!

That would be a twist. [Laughs.]

That would be a twist. But it ends on such a cliff-hanger. What was your reaction when you saw that final episode?

I almost had the same reaction, like, wait, is it mine? How'd I do that? [Laughs.] But I finished the episode going, Oh, shit. What on earth is going on here? How are they going to do this? But I think it's very cool how Camille handles it, how Camille handles the wedding. I think that's a very cool moment for that character. 

Things are complicated. So I use my own reaction of reading that to feed into what Sofia was trying to do in that one last scene there.

Do you think Sofia knows that Camille's pregnant since we only hear about the baby when Gabriel tells Emily?

Oh yeah. I think so. Although don't quote me on this, in case I come back in season four and Sofia ends up saying, “Wait, you're pregnant?” And then there's this interview from a year ago that says, I think she knows. [Laughs.] We can be wrong about our own characters too.

Let’s do some of our rapid-fire questions. You were born in Switzerland, right?

Yeah, but online it says I'm Swiss and I'm not actually Swiss at all. I don't speak German or French. I was born in Geneva because my parents happened to be working there at the time. And my mom's water broke, so I was born there. But the Swiss don't give you citizenship just for being born there. Although it's a beautiful place to be born. I'll absolutely take that. Great chocolate, great watches, great mountains, great people. I wish I was half Swiss, but I'm not.

How long were you in Switzerland for, as a baby?

Like eight months. My parents divorced pretty quickly, so then I moved to Athens with my mom, who's Greek. Then my dad would pick me up and take me to the States, so I was pulling double duty. But it was really fun, and honestly, it never felt anything except a really cool adventure. So half Greek, half American, born in Switzerland, but not Swiss.

Where did you study acting?

In London, at the London School of Dramatic Arts in South Kensington.

When you were growing up, what was your idea of what it meant to be a successful actor and what is it now?

I actually didn't used to think about actors. I used to think about pop stars. I wanted to be Gwen Stefani. As a teenager, I remember hearing that Tragic Kingdom album and I just went bananas, no pun intended with her song. I'd lie in bed and just picture myself as Gwen Stefani on a stage, even though I had no aspirations to sing on a stage. I didn't want to be a singer. She was so theatrical and awesome and unlike any other kind of female performer of that time that I had seen. I remember thinking, Wow. That's how I want to be. 

And now…[someone I really admire is] Ethan Hawke. I love how he marries the stuff he really wants to do…the theater and the movies and the big-budget stuff with the lower-budget stuff and comes out when it's time to promote stuff and then retreats and focuses. I don't know him. I could be completely wrong, but that's the impression I get. 

What was your favorite scene to film on Emily in Paris? And what scene made you most nervous?

My favorite scene to film was the confessional. I love those little moments, that intimacy with the camera and the other actor. The scene that made me the most nervous is probably the first scene we shot, which is one of the later scenes actually. We shot it out of order, and it's when Camille and I are in bed together, topless and putting on our clothes and I'm sort of sprawled over her body. It was the first time I met her. I was like, “Hello, I'm Melia. I'm going to be laying over your naked body in the next half hour.” It's always a little awkward, but Camille is so cool and easygoing. I couldn't have asked for a better person to be in that scene with. 

Did you have an intimacy coordinator to help out with that scene?

Yeah. They're very incredibly good about all of that. She was around the whole time, making sure everyone's completely comfortable with what was being asked of us or what we wanted to do. And it works both ways. It works well for the directors as well to not feel weird asking us to, like, “Hey, could you maybe do this a little bit more with your shirt?” So it works really well, actually.

I cannot believe that was your first day. 

Always happens to me. If there's a nude scene or a sex scene or a kissing scene or any kind of really intimate scene in a project, it's usually the first scene I'm being asked to do. I don't know why.

Do you sleep the night before? 

When I was starting out, I was just a bundle of nerves. Couldn't get me to sleep for days before. I was just like, What if I make them uncomfortable? What if I say something that's the wrong joke? You're trying to make light of it. And it can go really wrong, very, very easily if someone's not up for it. But now what I do…no matter how much preparation I've done, the night before any kind of scene like that, I'll reread the entire script very calmly, like a book, so that I can reestablish in my head the importance of the story. Because that way you stop being hysterical about your feelings and you step back a little bit and see the whole picture. You remember that you're just a small part of a bigger thing. So it calms me down as soon as I stop focusing on my own precious little feelings and reactions. 

And honestly, most of the time people are so incredibly nice, and you [realize you] worried for nothing. It's so quick and nobody wants to sit there forever, so it's usually the quickest scenes to film.

What was your favorite part of Sofia’s look?

Probably the very last scene of the season for me, which is the coffee-shop scene. It's a very simple ponytail. It's kind of austere but relaxed because Sofia's feeling confident. And there's that kind of big collar that's very intricate. She's got a shawl on and she's feeling cool and confident and ready to work for this girl's attention. So I really liked that. 

Was there a skin care or makeup product that you were introduced to on set that you now love?

Caudalie. I love all of their stuff. I have very sensitive skin. The last three years, my rosacea was triggered from stress. Suddenly I have these crazy flare-ups, so I have to be very careful. But Caudalie was really, really calming. Very soothing. It's a French staple. It's everywhere. It's so good.

What was your choice of beverage and or snack on the set?

English breakfast tea. It just felt fun asking French crew, “Hey, do you guys know if you have any English breakfast tea on board?” It's always fun. They were great. I can't do coffee on set. I'm going to start breaking things just from the jitters. So English breakfast tea, a little milk, is great to get you awake.

How would people describe you on set?

I dread to even think, oh my goodness. But I'll answer my own. I've been trying to quit smoking, so I've been using these vapes that are a nicotine replacement therapy kind of thing. But what they do is they heat up nicotine and it smells like you've passed gas. So I am really certain that half the people that are near me think that I'm constantly passing gas, which is both very funny and humiliating. I'm going to regret saying this so much when I read it in print. [Laughs.]

Listen, whatever it takes to quit smoking, I’m proud of you. So, if it smells like gas or whatever, do it.

I'm trying. It's not easy. It's really, really a hard habit to kick, especially when you're working on these sets and you're waiting around and you're trying not to stuff yourself with food all day long. It's not easy. So I'll take the encouragement.

What’s your favorite way to spend a day when you’re not working?

I want to be makeup-free, just very casual. I want to do very normal borderline mundane things like walk my dog, do my laundry, wash the dishes, clean my house, things that get me out of my head, because manual stuff really helps to kind of empty out your brain a little bit from whatever anxieties or stresses you have. Now I say that and my friends who are mothers will be like, “Shut up. That's all we do all day. Do laundry, clean the dishes, and pick up after our kids.” And I'm like, “Well, yeah, this is what happens in life. We all want what we don't have.”

Finally, what charity or cause is most important to you?

Animal adoption. I try very hard not to lecture people about it because when you take an animal home, it's gotta be forever. And I know that people want to have the puppy or the kitten that they want. However, I believe very strongly that if you look a little bit further, there's so many shelters that probably have what you're looking for. When I found my dog, I went to about eight shelters in two days. I went with a little mutt, but you could find every breed in the world at every age group. And if you just wait a little bit, sometimes they're so nice, and shelters will leave and take down your details if you're looking for something more specific. [Rescuing is a] very easy way for everyone to help out a little bit, and kind of pull back on the puppy farms and all of that. And I nudged a couple of my friends to consider getting slightly older pets for their kid. I said, “Listen, you're busy, do you really wanna be breaking them in? Because if you get an older one, they're already housebroken.” Everyone wants the cute little thing, but you know how cute a saved animal is? They come home and they can't wait to be loved by you and to love you back. 

One of my biggest dreams is to make enough money or to find funding to open up a big ranch on a Greek island because Greece has so many strays. I want to open a shelter.

Jessica Radloff is the Glamour senior West Coast editor and author of the New York Times best-selling book The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series.