Being famous is not all it's cracked up to be, if you ask "Emily in Paris" star Lucas Bravo.
The actor quickly rose to fame after "Emily in Paris" premiered on Netflix in October 2020. Before Bravo took on the role of Gabriel, Lily Collins’ on-screen love interest, he did a bit of modeling and acted in some small French projects. Although "Emily in Paris" put him on the map, he said it also labeled him a "heartthrob," which is something he didn't ask for.
“I’ve been working for this for ten years… feeling like you’re going in the right direction," Bravo said about his career during a Tuesday interview with The Sunday Times. "Then, I was just like a heartthrob overnight. It feels a bit rushed. Too much attention for the quality of work I provided.”
“I think being famous is the worst thing that can happen to you," he added. "It’s just smoke. It doesn’t mean anything.”
Although Bravo said he doesn’t consider himself a celebrity, he said that he’s way more than a cute face. But because of his looks, he’s only been able to land roles that focus solely on the character’s appearance.
“You can’t be aesthetically beautiful, and be smart or have depth,” he said. “I kept getting roles like the dumb gym teacher. It’s hard to break that image. I’m not complaining, of course, but it’s a reality.”
Being constantly typecast as the handsome supporting character has made Bravo view life differently.
“It made me very self-aware," he said. "Because when you think about that word and the people it encapsulates, you see always a healthy, good-looking, ripped person — and I’m not that."
“I’m healthy, of course, but I can be overweight … All the little things that define who you are and make you human once you’re in that (heartthrob) category are perceived like a flaw," Bravo continued. "And I don’t want to be perfect. I’ve been working against that. In France, they don’t want good-looking. They want broken faces.”