The new Netflix comedy Emily in Paris is an easy sell thanks to the charms of Lily Collins as the titular Emily, as well as the legacy of Darren Star, whose legacy as a creator of television is rich and deep, with perhaps the game-changing Sex and the City being his most memorable contribution to the medium.

All of this was very obvious to Tony Award-nominated Ashley Park, who didn't hesitate to audition for the role of Mindy, a babysitter from a rich Chinese family who's living in Paris against her family's wishes, and who quickly becomes Emily's primary confidante after the blossoming young marketing executive arrives in town, ready to conquer this new city.

Below, Park explains why she didn't hesitate to audition, why she did hesitate when Star asked her if she'd be open to her character singing something on the show, and why she loves playing supporting characters.

Collider: So how did this show come to you?

PARK: Yeah, I got an audition for it from my agents, and I opened up the email and it said Darren Star, Patricia Field, Paris, and Lily Collins. And I was, "How do I get a part of this?" I couldn't believe they were filming in Paris, and then I read the scene. It was the first scene that Mindy and Emily have together when they meet. And I was like, "I know her. I understand Mindy so much. She's me. Let's do this." Yeah.

As we learn, the character's background is very different from yours — why did you feel like Mindy was you?

PARK: Oh, I didn't know much about the background of the character, what it was is, I just understood her humor right away. I understood how she approaches somebody. She recognizes that Emily is lonely, and being a good friend is just very effortless to Mindy. She's very free-spirited. Those are all qualities that I strive to have. She's just very unafraid.

In terms of auditioning for it, was your ability to sing a factor in those auditions?

PARK: No. They didn't write it until after I'd been cast. It wasn't until Paris and after our first table read, that as they were starting to write the rest of the episodes, Darren asked if I'd be okay with singing.

And you're like, "I think I maybe know a little bit about it"?

PARK: Actually, I was hesitant at first, a little bit. Or that's why he was checking with me, because I hadn't been cast for that. And I wanted to make sure that it wasn't just, "Let's throw in that little bit of an Easter egg that Ashley could sing," because I love the story, and I love the characters and the friendship and how they talk to each other, the rhythm of their banter and everything, that I wanted to make sure if I sang on the series, it would be story-driven and it would be helpful to the characters and their development too. And it really turned out to be.

It's so interesting with a role like this, because on the one hand the show is called Emily in Paris. You know who the show's about. When you're stepping in to take on the best friend character, how much are you thinking about, "I'm supporting this character, but do I get my own storylines? What's my role in this?"

PARK: Here's the thing, I love being a supporting actor. It is the best. My Broadway debut was in Mamma Mia. I was in the ensemble and I was an understudy. And I'm so glad that that was my first experience, to really understand before I was in a high pressure cooker show being the lead, having to carry a show in any sense. I love being a supporting character because I like being an actor who can kind of think like a director and think, "How could I best support the story at large?" and "What kind of gold can I make with what I've been given?"

That's the fun of the craft for me. And sometimes when you have to carry a show or be in every scene, as Lily does so beautifully... I got to come in and make her day. I got to make her work day be really fun "Tuesday was a great day because I got to do a scene with Mindy." Our scenes were always so fun and easy for us to do, and so I love being the person who can bring joy and levity to a set or to a show. And so, I love that. I mean, Mindy definitely has her own stuff going on.

Yeah, I was going to say — I love that you said that, but what did it feel like to get your literal moment in the spotlight?

PARK: Oh, to get that. I mean, for the exact reason I just said, I was so honored and so moved. When he asked me if I wanted to sing, I thought, "Oh great, sure." Like we'll go to a karaoke bar maybe and I'll sing a little tune, or I'll sing Happy Birthday to someone. The fact that he used that to really provide a way for Emily to be a good friend, to show this backstory and this entire history, and insecurity and the flaws and the complexity of Mindy, it was the best gift ever. And in watching the scenes now, I've never felt so taken care of. Darren and [director] Andy Fleming and the entire team took such good care of Mindy and of me.

In general, what was the filming experience like? Did you all get to hang out together in between scenes and so forth?

PARK: Yeah. I mean, I was lucky in that so many of my scenes, 90 percent of them are just me and Lily. So we would have days where we just did a bunch of scenes, or it was just us all day. And then I would get big chunks of break as she was in the other universes of the office, and Gabriel and such. But off-screen, because I'm so used to theater where everyone is with each other all the time, we're a big family, my best friends were... I was with Camille [Zagat] and with Samuel [Arnold], and Lucas Bravo. Lucas and Samuel basically were my roommates for the last month and a half of shooting. We would go and make macaroons and croissants together. We did this Airbnb experience. Lucas and I would go out with his friends in France. It was just the best time and it became such a close family.

Wonderful. Were you already pretty proficient in French before the shoot?

PARK: No. I took a lot of it in middle school and high school, but I don't think I've retained any of it. What's so funny is, me and Lily both said, "We're going to get so much better at our French when we go there," because that's what everyone says when you're immersed in another culture. But the problem was, is that all the French people wanted to practice their English with us.

To wrap up, you mentioned Darren Star when you heard first about the audition — what does Darren Star being attached to this project mean to you?

PARK: So much. I mean, I grew up knowing those Sex and the City characters, and I've found that the people who are at the top of their craft and who have empires... That is mammoth level to me, the fact that he wanted to collaborate and that he wanted to listen to me and see what I was comfortable with, if I wanted to sing, this and that about the character, if this word feels weird to say, or if that phrase is better. Because it also shows me that the best artists, what I would strive to be, is just the most generous type of person, whose only goal is to bring really good humanity to these characters, into these audiences. I can't believe I'm in a Darren Star show. I can't believe it. I truly can't.

Emily in Paris Season 1 is streaming now on Netflix.