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.
BREAKFAST: I am a savory breakfast girl and like eggs. On weekends, I go to the farmer’s market and get cucumbers, celery, lemons, ginger, and pineapple. I grab some mint from my garden, juice it, strain it through cheesecloth, and put it in a bunch of glass bottles for the week.
HEAD SPACE: I’m most productive in the morning when my brain is super clear. Growing up, I played classical piano and practiced for an hour before school, so I think that my brain is used to working productively in the morning.
VITAMINS & SUPPLEMENTS: I take Seed probiotics, and they’ve really helped with my digestion. I make my grandma’s recipe for Korean herbal tea with ginseng, ginger, pear, and herbs, and I drink it throughout the day.
WORKOUT: I do reformer Pilates with my instructor, Brandon Perry, in Los Angeles. After my illness this year, he really helped me get back in tune with my body and my physicality. Pilates really strengthens and tones in a different way, helping me engage the muscles I need for work.
COCKTAIL/MOCKTAIL: I love a spicy margarita and an Aperol Spritz in the summer and an espresso martini in the winter.
ENERGY BOOST: I used to associate being productive with being busy and around other people. I’ve found that having some solid alone time is what gives me energy in the long run.
ON THE PLANE: I travel with skincare products, gua shas, and Korean kombucha powders. I’ve started to use ear seeds on the plane, which is like acupressure, and it’s made a huge difference for me.
JET-LAG HACK: I used to be really bad about drinking water, but I’ve found that hydration really, really makes a difference for my jet lag.
SELF CARE: In the morning, before I reach for the phone or get out of bed, I do breathwork. I also love hot and cold therapy, sweating in the sauna, and then going in the cold plunge. And you can’t have your phone, so I can focus on meditating and breathing.
GO-TO SPA TREATMENT: I love Barbara Sturm facials and try to go monthly. I also regularly get lymphatic massages with hot stones.
MOOD LIFTER: Crocheting and watching reruns of Survivor.
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Last night on the plane! I always seem to cry—good or bad tears—on a flight. During the press circuit, Lily and I often teared up when we talked about each other. Lily starts to cry, and then I cry, and vice versa. It’s been over half a decade that we’ve been living these chapters of life together.
THE ETERNAL OPTIMIST: I’ve been told by friends that I’m the person who, when something troubling or difficult happens, immediately tries to figure out what the silver lining is that the universe is trying to teach me.
WORST VICE: When I’m super tired but watch TV on my phone until 3 a.m.
GUILTY PLEASURE: Haribo Sour Gummies. I can go through bags of those really fast!
SMALL HABIT THAT’S MADE A BIG CHANGE IN YOUR LIFE: Using a vibration plate. I thought they were kind of a hoax, but I recently started using one every morning, and it’s really great for your whole lymphatic system.
LIFE LESSON: Everyone is the protagonist in their own life, and you should try to be respectful of that. There really is a lesson to everything, and if it’s not visible, it’s your job to find it.
DESERT-ISLAND PRODUCTS: I love U Beauty Barrier Bioactive Treatment, Laneige lip masks, Dior serums, Osea body oils, and Tiger Balm.
BEAUTY TOOLS: I always have a gua sha with me, and I love my Face Gym Pro. I’ve also seen a huge difference in my skin, in terms of fewer breakouts, when I use my L.E.D. light therapy mask.
FIRST BEAUTY PRODUCT: A Shiseido eyelash curler and those little pink sponge foam rollers. I remember my mom teaching me how to use both of them, and I still use them today!
HAIRCARE ESSENTIALS: I love Olaplex products and the K18 hair mask, and I try never to put heat on my hair unless it’s for work.
SCENT: I have a whole collection of them! Every time I get a new role, I go to Le Labo and get a new scent. I use it to set the tone or to get into the character’s mood.
ASHLEY IN PARIS: I love the French focus on amazing skincare. Lily and I both got facials at Cible Skin that were more a medical facial than an aesthetic one. I’ve learned a lot about skincare just by being on set in Paris.
PIECE OF ADVICE YOU WOULD GIVE YOUR YOUNGER SELF: Take a nap! I remember thinking, I have to go do this, or I can’t say no to that, and I have to make everyone happy. I think I’d tell my younger self to have better boundaries.
LIFE GUARD: After my recent illness, I should have recovered fully before going into filming. I was very ill and a month late to the set, so I flew straight to Paris. I think that even if you can power through physically, your mental and emotional self still needs to recover.
WHEN DO YOU FEEL THE MOST BEAUTIFUL: When I’m smiling and laughing with people I love around me.
BEST THING ABOUT GROWING OLDER: I realized in my thirties that I didn’t have to prove myself when walking into a room. Mostly, it was that I didn’t have to prove myself to me anymore. I love having the wisdom to trust my instincts because of the life experiences I’ve had.
Holly Parmelee, formerly an associate publisher at Little, Brown and Company, is an editor and writer at Serendipity magazine
