Lily Collins couldn’t hide her excitement over the clever nod to The Lizzie McGuire Movie made by her character Emily in Emily in Paris during Season 4, Part 2. In episode 9, Emily and Marcello (played by Eugenio Franceschini) visit the iconic Trevi Fountain in Rome, right after Emily leaves Paris following Gabriel’s confession of love, reported by People.
As they admire the famous landmark, Emily makes a humorous comparison to a beloved pop culture moment. “I’ve seen so much of this city in movies, I feel like I’ve been here already,” she says to her Italian companion. Marcello then asks, “You mean like La Dolce Vita?” But Emily, with her own unique charm, responds, “I was thinking more like The Lizzie McGuire Movie.”
Marcello, puzzled, admits he doesn’t know the reference, to which Emily quips, “We’ll save that for your cultural education.”
At the premiere of Season 4, Part 2 of Emily in Paris, Collins talked to People about the memorable line, which quickly became a fan favorite. “I sadly can’t take credit for that line, but I found it to be one of the more genius lines of the season,” Collins said. “I definitely grew up loving that movie, Hilary Duff, Lizzie McGuire, so I was very proud that Emily Cooper would make that reference.”
Fans of both Emily in Paris and The Lizzie McGuire Movie were thrilled to see the clever throwback, further cementing Emily’s character as a relatable millennial icon.