Sumith Prasad
Julien’s sexual orientation becomes a matter of attention in an episode of Netflix’s romantic comedy series ‘Emily in Paris’ season 4. In the second part of the installment, he celebrates the holiday season with Dominique, his “Christmas boyfriend.” They show up at Mindy Chan’s party, only for Étienne to become jealous of Emily’s colleague. The previous seasons of the show have provided us with hints regarding Julien’s sexuality, which is not surprising considering the abundance of queer characters in the drama series, including Camille and her ex-girlfriend, Sofia. As far as Julien is concerned, his sexual orientation has even sparked several debates! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Julien is a Gay Man
Julien being gay is not a secret. In the second season, he becomes infatuated with Gerhard, the agent of Ellen Von Unwerth, a photographer hired to take shots for Pierre Cadault. Unfortunately, the chemistry between the two does not grow to become a long-term relationship. Sparks also fly when Julien encounters Benoît, the guitarist who forms a band with Étienne and Mindy. The marketing executive and his friends believe that Benoît is also a gay man, only for the musician to reveal his true feelings to Mindy, putting an end to Julien’s dreams. Since then, he has cherished short-term companionships, as his relationship with Dominique indicates.
The characterization of Julien has sparked several intense discussions among the romantic comedy’s viewers. Many of them found him as a typical “gay best friend” character similar to Justin Walker’s Christian in ‘Clueless,’ Rupert Everett’s George in ‘My Best Friend’s Wedding,’ Willie Garson’s Stanford Blatch in ‘Sex and the City,’ Stanley Tucci’s Nigel in ‘The Devil Wears Prada,’ Sean Hayes’ Jack in ‘Will and Grace,’ and Tituss Burgess’ Titus Andromedon in ‘Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.’ However, Samuel Arnold, who plays Julien, does not believe that his character is just a part of a trope.
“I didn’t really think about it in this way because I actually saw him first as a character. You can’t play ‘gay.’ That’s just Julien’s sexual orientation; it’s not a real characteristic. He’s a best friend who just happens to be gay. It didn’t really affect the way I worked on the part. Julien could be straight as well. That wouldn’t change anything about the way he behaves. He’s glamorous and fiery – I don’t think, if he was straight, he would be any different,” Arnold told Glamour. The actor also does not believe that his character’s lack of a long-term relationship is concerning or rooted in this trope.
“We’re not lacking romances in the show. So I’m very happy to [play] the character that tackles another subject in such a good way as well,” Arnold told Netflix’s Tudum. While Julien is gay, when it comes to the actor who portrays the character, there is not much we know about. Arnold has been extremely private about his sexual orientation and personal life in general, for that matter. He seemingly prefers to be tight-lipped about his romantic relationships as well.
