Ashley Park fizzes with the same joyful energy that’s made her breakout role as Mindy Chen on Netflix’s Emily in Paris so endearing. The former Broadway star is the show’s beating heart, playing the best friend to Lily Collins’ Emily Cooper with such warmth that their bond feels less like a performance and more like life. Park and Collins are equally close off-screen—a friendship that proved crucial this year when Park, 34, faced a life-threatening case of sepsis. As she recently told The Hollywood Reporter, “Whether it be sepsis, cancer, or mean people in class, I have learned how to smile through stuff that I didn’t want to smile through,” she says, “It’s so much easier than being angry.”
GOOD MORNING: I love waking up as soon as the sun comes up. I spent my twenties working on Broadway with evening hours, so I thought I was a night person. Once I started listening to my internal clock, I realized I am absolutely a morning person.
