‘Emily in Paris’ Star Recalls Teenage Battle With Cancer

Ashley Park is opening up about how her battle with cancer as a teenager motivated her to chase her dreams as an actress. The Emily in Paris star, 31, shared her inspirational story with Shape magazine for its Motivation Issue, revealing she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia at just 15, which required her to undergo chemotherapy and radiation. 

Park, who plays Mindy Chen in the Netflix romantic comedy opposite Lily Collins, said her battle with the cancer of her blood and bone marrow pushed her to go after what she wanted with everything that she had. “Once cancer physically left my body, I made it my mission to not let it affect my life,” said Park. “I didn’t want it to define me.”

“People were so worried about me,” she added, “and I became the person that was like, ‘I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. I am going to go after what I want and just do it.’” Park’s cancer journey has also inspired her to pay attention to her body’s needs throughout her career on screen and on Broadway, and the actress makes sure to keep fit and treat herself well.

“When you’re performing so much, you realize that your body is your vessel – it’s your instrument,” Park said. “So, you have to treat it as such and really take care of it.” Park maintains a primarily plant-based diet, but due to her cancer battle as a teen, the star occasionally does have to switch up her vegetarian ways. “I am highly anemic because of what I went through with my cancer,” Park explained. “So, I do like a nice steak every once in a while.”

Season 3 of Emily in Paris finds Emily (Collins) at a crossroads personally and professionally as she is forced to decide where her loyalties really lie and what that means for her future in Paris. Collins hinted to Entertainment Tonight ahead of the season premiere that the final episode will be a jaw-dropper for fans, teasing that it “feels like five in one” and “leaves you on another cliffhanger.” Emily in Paris Season 3 premieres Dec. 21 on Netflix.