Ashley Park Teases "Challenge" For Mindy & Emily's Friendship In 'Emily In Paris' Season 5 (EXCLUSIVE)

Ashley Park can't wait for you to see 'Emily in Paris' season 5.

In addition to the return of our favorite characters, we also got a totally unexpected tease: some steamy scenes between Mindy and Alfie! "I really thought that we were keeping the Alfie/Mindy stuff kind of under wraps, and they came out with those photos and stuff, and we were like, 'Oh, we're a little unhinged and teasing this year, ok!'" she continues. "Something I love so much is physical comedy, and I think we see a lot of that from Mindy this season. That was so fun to do. This year I was in a harness like 3 different times, on a horse, in like 4 different kinds of boats — like I was at sea more than I was at a cafe. And so I feel even from the sneak peek pictures, it looks like Mindy's in 5 different genres. She has so much going on this season, which is so fun."

And Ashley has so much going on herself! In addition to the new season of the Netflix hit, she's also partnering with Planet Oat on their new Planet Oat White Chocolate Raspberry Oatmilk Creamer. "I was a black coffee girl for many, many years and then coffee creamer has changed the game for me, especially once Planet Oak came out with oat milk coffee creamers," she says. "I've always needed a sweetener, I can't just do creamer on its own."

In addition to using it in her coffee, Ashley is also using it in recipes too! "On set on long days, I used to like chia seeds, you know, they're filling, they're so good for you," she says. "In France and Italy when we were filming there, their breakfast when you go to set is they have some croissants and bread and like an espresso machine. And so I was like, 'You know what, I need to start having my own stuff at home prepped and so I would take and I use the white chocolate raspberry [creamer] in making chia seed pudding."

Coffee, snacks, and treats are a very popular thing on the Emily in Paris set, but Ashley Park also says that filming is a great time to just catch up. "Me and Lily on set, we use Emily in Paris filming as our major catch-up session for 4 months, you know, so we'll literally just be doing friend therapy on the side and we'll have a 15, 16, 17-hour day sometimes or we'll be traveling [and] we'll be like 'This wasn't enough time, we have to like thumbtack this and this for tomorrow.'"

That connection connection really lends itself to Mindy and Emily's onscreen bond, which Ashley teases could be challenged in season 5. "I'm really excited and proud of how we really delved into a new spectrum of relationship and friendship and sisterhood between Emily and Mindy," she shares. "We've never had them [have] miscommunications or have to hide things from each other, and I think that Mindy withholds certain things. I think in adult friendships, what I've realized is even your best friend who you want to tell everything to, sometimes you want to protect them and figure out the best ways for them to be able to receive information, and I think that we really see them have a true challenge with each other and really come back together."

"It's those kinds of things if you can get through them, and if you can communicate through them really make for an adult lifetime sisterhood," she continues. "So I think that that was something we were both a little nervous about...You know, sometimes we're in scenes and it feels like it's me and Lily, you know, and it really felt like we were acting [this season] and had to really look into certain scenes and scene work and intentions of these characters and separate it from who we are because it's the first time it's really departed from how me and Lily interact."

But don't worry — despite some onscreen disagreements, they still had a blast off camera! "My biggest thing has been trying to find games that you can do while you're on set, you know you can't, like, play Monopoly when you're on a day shooting on set," she jokes. In addition to a new (and very loud) dice game courtesy of Lucien Laviscount, Ashley Park has also started crocheting. "A lot of my friends, including Lily, had babies this year, so I started making these little like baby blankets."

Between hobbies and delicious Planet Oat treats, there's plenty on Ashley's plate (figuratively and literally). "I associate Paris with my sweet tooth because I usually don't indulge in that at home. So like even [the creamer's] exact flavor is exactly the kinds of patisseries and the little pastries that I would get walking around and stuff, but I think I just love the cafe culture," she says. "I love being able to walk around. I live in LA now, but I lived in New York for over a decade and there's just something so beautiful. It's really breathtaking sometimes."