Lily Collins was 'very proud' of Emily's reference to Lizzie McGuire in 'Emily in Paris' Season 4, Part 2 (exclusive)

For Lily Collins, filming in Rome is a real dream!

The actress spoke to PEOPLE at the premiere of Season 4 Part 2 of Emily in Paris, in which Collins plays the role of Emily, to talk about her character's Italian escapades. Collins – who wore a gold Schiaparelli dress that she described as “my bold Roman statue moment” – also explains who imagined the memorable Lizzie McGuire mention.

“I can't take credit for that line, but I thought it was one of the most brilliant lines of the season,” she says. “I definitely grew up loving that movie, Hilary Duff, Lizzie McGuireso I was very proud that Emily Cooper made that connection.”

In episode 9, after Emily flees Paris to Rome for “an adventure” following Gabriel's declaration of love, Emily and the Roman Marcello (Eugenio Franceschini) visit the Trevi Fountain. When Emily sees the famous landmark, it seems like a fiction.

“I’ve seen so much of this city in films, it feels like I’ve been here before,” she tells her Italian friend.

“You mean like The Dolce Vita?” he asks.

“I was thinking more of The Lizzie McGuire Film,” she answers in all seriousness.

Marcello remarks: “Hmm, I don’t know that,” to which Emily jokes: “We’ll save that for your cultural education.”

Darren Star, the creator of Emily in Paris, On the red carpet, he also tells PEOPLE why he chose Rome as the setting for part 2 of season 4. Star notes that he wanted to “broaden the scope of the show” and “expand the universe,” and says Emily's international journey adds to the depth of her story.

“For me, Rome is also the other great romantic city of Europe and a bit of a yin and yang to Paris,” says Star. “And history has also brought us here. You know, Italy – just like France – is known for fashion, design and style in a different way.”

In addition to Lizzie McGuireStar explains that Emily channeled her inner Audrey Hepburn throughout the second film.

They were “definitely inspired by [Hepburn] and references and all that,” he says. “Throughout the show, and not only in Italy but also in Megève, [France] in the Alps, we nod, so to speak farceher outfit in farce. It was fun.”

As for the next season, Star is keeping quiet about what might happen next for Emily and her friends – Gabriel (Lucas Bravo), Mindy (Ashley Park), Camille (Camille Razat) and Alfie (Lucien Laviscount).

“There are some ideas,” he teases. “It's really a fun story that you can tell over and over again.”

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Part 1 and 2 of Emily in Paris Season 4 is now streaming on Netflix.