Emily in Paris assistant director Diego Borella, 47, died during filming in Venice, Italy.
Emily in Paris assistant director Diego Borella, 47, died during filming in Venice, Italy.
The assistant director of the Netflix show Emily in Paris has died during filming in Venice.
Diego Borella, 47, reportedly collapsed in front of colleagues during preparations to shoot the final scene of the fifth series.
Medics attempted to revive Borella at the city’s Hotel Danieli before a doctor arrivedat about 7pm on Thursday (local time), Italian media reported.
The director and writer was pronounced dead shortly afterwards, according to La Repubblica. He is believed to have suffered a heart attack.
Filming for the hit series, starring Lily Collins as Emily, was understood to have been suspended following his death, but has reportedly since recommenced.
In a statement, the health service in Venice said: “Our ambulance arrived at 18.42 [on Thursday evening]. Medics made attempts to resuscitate him. But in the end, all efforts proved fruitless. At around 19.30, he was pronounced deceased.”
Filming for Emily in Paris had begun in Venice on August 15. Photo / Netflix
The crew were preparing to shoot the final scene of the day when Borella suddenly fell ill during filming at Hotel Danieli, a five-star hotel used by guests attending Jeff Bezos’ wedding to Lauren Sánchez in June.
Borella, who was Venice-born, was well-respected in the industry and had trained across Rome, London and New York.
Alongside Emily in Paris, Borella had credits on the television series DOC – Nelle Tui Mani (DOC – In Your Hands), an Italian medical drama broadcast since 2020.
Responding to the news of his death, Mattia Berto, an actor and friend of Borella, told the Corriere del Veneto newspaper: “Diego was a great guy, elegant and full of style. The last time I saw him was at a dinner in Paris, along with one of our closest female friends.
“She is devastated. Diego was brilliant at what he did and very talented. There are no words ... just a great sadness.”
Simone Venturini, the deputy mayor for tourism in Venice, told Italian media: “We are very saddened to hear this news. We know how much he was respected and esteemed in his profession. We send condolences to his family and his colleagues.”
Lily Collins is seen filming on the set of Emily In Paris in Venice, Italy. Photo / Getty Images
Filming for Emily in Paris had begun in Venice on August 15 and was set to continue until August 25. The series follows Emily Cooper, an aspiring American marketing executive who moves to Paris, where she encounters challenges in her work, love life and friendships.
In the latest season, Emily moved her adventures to Rome. Alongside Collins, the show features Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu as Sylvie Grateau, Ashley Park as Mindy Chen and Lucas Bravo as love interest Gabriel. It is not known which cast members were present on set when Borella was taken ill.
Series five of Emily in Paris is due to be released on Netflix on December 18.
