Kate Walsh Loves Playing the ‘Ugly American’ on ‘Emily In Paris’: ‘It’s Fun’!

usmagazine.com:

Sacré bleu! Kate Walsh is having a great time portraying an “ugly American” on Emily In Paris — and she doesn’t care who knows it.“It’s kind of fun to play.

It’s all clichés,” the 54-year-old Grey’s Anatomy alum exclusively told Us Weekly earlier this month while promoting her partnership with Alcon’s Systane Complete Preservative’s-Free Eye Drops. “I don’t speak French, but it’s really delightful for me to be able to play a character [who] thinks she speaks really good French and is actually speaking terrible French.”The California native has played Chicago-based boss Madeline Wheeler since the Netflix series debuted in October 2020.

Walsh joined the rest of the cast — including Lily Collins and Ashley Park — in France for season 2, but her personal experience in Europe ended up being much different from her character’s.“The French are always really kind to me,” she told Us. “I think sometimes people can experience it as being tough in Paris if you’re American, but for me, everyone’s been so kind and welcoming.

It’s just a dream to go work there.”Although her character had trouble fitting in among the French, Walsh said it was “a blast to shoot” across the pond where both she and Madeline “ate their way through Paris.”The Private Practice actress previously spoke to Us about the criticism surrounding Emily In Paris’ depiction of French culture back in 2020, claiming that the Darren Star-created series wasn’t “meant to be a drama or French realism.”At the time, Walsh also pointed out that the show was about “an American in Paris,” which means “absurdity and kitsch” are part of the package deal.Before her move to Netflix, the Perks of Being a Wallflower actress starred in Grey’s Anatomy as Dr.