The couple met on the set of 'Emily in Paris.'
If Paris really is the city of love, then Ashley Park and Paul Forman are the perfect case in point. After meeting on the set of Emily in Paris in 2021, the pair quickly became an item—on-screen, that is. But as the two continued to fall for each other in their roles as Mindy Chen and Nicolas de Leon, it became clear that their connection went well beyond the script.
While Forman is still a new face in Hollywood, Park is no stranger to the spotlight. She landed her first starring role in Joy Ride, in 2023, and took her acting and singing skills to Broadway for a number of musicals, including Mean Girls, for which she received a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in 2018. But, for Park, nothing compares to the magic of filming in Paris: "I think [Emily in Paris] is aspirational in a very genuine, earnest way," Park told TODAY. "It's so fun to film. It really is a dream."
Emily in Paris may be a dream scenario for Park, but the cherry on top is certainly her real-life romance with Forman: "One of the reasons I wanted to be friends with him, and eventually fell in love with him, is that he’s so generous and kind as a coworker and a friend," Park told Cosmopolitan. "I’ve never been with a straight white male who has been more generous or better to work with on a set. Ever, ever, ever."
Keep scrolling for a timeline of Park and Forman's Parisian love story.
2021: Ashley Park and Paul Forman meet.
While Park has been with the show since its debut in 2020, Forman didn't join the cast of Emily in Paris until 2021. Playing Park's love interest, Nicolas de Leon, the two formed a bond that soon developed into something more.
"I mean, let’s face it, he’s eye candy," Park told Cosmopolitan. "So I was also like, 'Oh my god, definitely not. I am past that. I would never fall for someone who looks that impeccable.' So we were just friends. Very platonically, we would hang out...Fast-forward, we’re filming one of our last scenes together, and he said, 'I am getting really attached to you.'"
October 25, 2023: The pair are seen holding hands, sparking romance rumors.
Park and Forman spent The Hollywood Reporter's Beauty Dinner looking extra couple-y as they held hands and posed for photos. Unsurprisingly, the sighting sparked rumors of a budding romance between the two co-stars.
January 19, 2024: Ashley Park shares news of a medical emergency on Instagram.
After being hospitalized in the Maldives for a case of tonsillitis that "spiraled into critical septic shock," Park shared the news of her recovery on Instagram, complete with a tribute to Forman, who had clearly been taking care of her throughout the ordeal. The pair flew to Paris after Park was stable enough to begin her recovery.
"Grateful most of all to@peformanfor being unconditionally by my side through all this," Park wrote in her caption. "You calmed my fears and held me through ambulances, three foreign hospitals, a week in the ICU, scary ERs, countless scans and tests and injections, excruciating pain, and so much confusion all while we were alone on the other side of the world far from those we know. I love you Paul. More than I can ever say."
Park's post confirmed the relationship rumors: not only were the pair definitely dating, but they were in love. "By your side, no matter what," Forman wrote in his own post, published on the same day.
With Forman's help, Park powered through her recovery. Mere weeks later, the couple began filming season 4 of Emily in Paris.
"It really was just about survival for me," she told Cosmopolitan. "I can’t remember anything because I was not well. But one thing I’ll give myself credit for is, I don’t think I’m the most talented, prettiest, any of those things. But I do the best I can, and that work ethic always means a lot. I think I’m super resilient."
January 25, 2024: Park reveals the actual timeline of their relationship.
A few days later, Park shared an Instagram carousel dedicated to Forman, with a photo of the two kissing as well as a photo of Forman pushing her in a wheelchair. "A year ago from today," she wrote."@peformanannual January heroism." The post seemed to imply that the couple had been together for an entire year—that is, since January 2023—but in a Cosmopolitan interview, Park revealed that the pair had actually been "in love" for two years and counting.
"It’s funny now: the Maldives trip was going to be our hard launch. Literally, if you ask any of my friends, if you ask my assistant, I was like, 'We’re hard-launching.' And then I got sepsis. We joke that if our next vacation is literally just taking out the trash, it will be amazing by comparison.
February 18, 2024: They go on their first "public" date.
No longer secretly dating, Park and Forman were finally able to go out in public on a real date. The pair attended the J.W.Anderson show in celebration of their newfound freedom and Forman even shared a carousel on images from the day, writing "First public date with@jw_anderson♥️ Congratulations@jonathan.andersonon an incredible show."
March 24, 2024: The couple celebrates Paul Forman's birthday.
Park and Forman were in fine form to celebrate the actor's 30th birthday, marking the special day with a couples massage, a fancy dinner, and plenty of PDA. Park had a number of outfit changes for the occasion including a "PAUL" T-shirt and a perfect black and white dress from AKIRA.
Fans speculated if Park's caption was a playful hint at future walk down the aisle: "mob wife mentality?" she wrote. "(happy bday to my favorite pisces prince@peforman)."
June 23, 2024: The couple parties in Paris.
True to their relationship roots, Park and Forman know how to have a good time in Paris. The pair attended the Vogue World party in the French capital in June alongside some of their other Emily in Paris co-stars. Predictably, Park dazzled: she wore an off-the-shoulder Rahul Mishra FW23 Couture dress, embellished with silver sequins so that the whole look resembled a very sparkly bow. Forman, meanwhile, wore a Jeanne Friot suit, knee-high Egonlab boots, and a mesh see-through shirt underneath (“Thank God, because it was really, really hot," he told GQ).
For more InStyle news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on InStyle.
