Ashley Park remembers hilarious croissant scene with Lily Collins in 'Emily in Paris'

In the new installment of Emily in Paris, Ashley Park’s character throws baked treats at her friend. This is a scene that left a lasting impression on Park.

Season 5, which premiered on Netflix in December, shows Mindy Chen (Park) tossing croissants at her on-screen friend Emily Cooper, played by her real-life buddy Lily Collins. At PaleyFest LA 2026, Park spoke to PEOPLE about the confrontation — and the aspect of it that she'll always recall.

When asked about the dispute at the festival’s Emily in Paris panel on April 10, Park explained to PEOPLE, “Oh my goodness. It was quite fascinating, as we often remark that much of our characters are heavily motivated by our friendship. We've never had such a disagreement before.”

Park, now 34, added, “We’ve never had a conversation like that in reality. We communicate really well, thinking, ‘This must be the moment where our characters get to discover this lesson.’”

Regarding the actual logistics of the pastry altercation, Park noted that “croissants are quite light, so to hit the target precisely, you need to throw them with force. And I wasn't aiming correctly at first. The take that they decided to use, I really tossed it at her.”

“I'll always remember the croissant crumb smudge on her face,” she remarked about Collins, 37, later recalling how they’d check in with each other between takes: “Doing that to a friend — we had to pause. I asked, ‘Are you alright?’”

Park further mentioned to PEOPLE that before their on-screen conflict, she and Collins “were a bit hesitant about the storyline and altercation between them, but we grew eager about it because experiencing disputes or conflicts with loved ones and communicating through them, only strengthens the relationship.”

An extra layer to the narrative — apart from the flaky layers in the croissants themselves — was the fact that the Emily in Paris stars’ families were visiting while they filmed, Park mentioned.

“What added difficulty — and was interesting — is that the croissant scene was the first time our parents visited Paris, and they were on set that day,” she conveyed to PEOPLE at PaleyFest LA. “So we had extra fun. But, oh, were we giggling non-stop.”

Nonetheless, the interruptions appear to have added a delightful touch to the intense scene, with Park reminiscing, “I believe that take ended up being used.”

Collins expressed to PEOPLE at the season 5 debut that shooting another scene with her screen partner left her emotional. “One of my most pleasing moments was filming the scene with Ashley while doing face masks, and we couldn't stop laughing — tears were streaming,” Collins revealed, adding, “Being with Ashley is always a joy.”

“Traveling to Venice was extraordinary, and I'd never been there before, so filming with Ashley in the Venetian streets was truly enchanting,” she reflected on her longtime colleague.

Emily in Paris has been renewed for a sixth season following the latest season’s success.