Ashley Park from ‘Emily in Paris’ says topless scene was her ‘worst nightmare’ (exclusive)

Ashley Park talks about the “stressful” experience of filming her topless scene in Emily in Paris.

In episode 8 of the fourth season of the Netflix series, Park’s character, aspiring singer Mindy – who wants to raise money for the Eurovision Song Contest with her band – agrees to perform at the Crazy Horse, an iconic Parisian cabaret known for its naked dancers.

Speaking to PEOPLE at a press conference for the show in Rome, Italy, on Tuesday, September 10, the 33-year-old actress described portraying the scene as “every actor’s worst nightmare.”

“We have this recurring memory of being on stage in your underwear and not knowing what you’re doing,” Park explained. “And that’s exactly what I experienced, but all around me were the most beautiful dancers in the world.”

Park said she struggled to complete the task. “It was so stressful and so hard,” she told PEOPLE of the Crazy Horse scene. “If choreographer Kyle Hanagami and my team hadn’t come, I don’t think I would have been able to do it.”

In the episode, Mindy is similarly nervous about having to undress on stage – and she even realizes during rehearsals that her singing voice is affected when she’s topless. In the end, she finds a creative solution to get through the performance with no worries. While dancing topless to the Britney Spears hit “Oops!… I Did It Again,” she has her best friend Emily (Lily Collins) throw various handbags from offstage to cover her body with.

Ultimately, Park told PEOPLE, she is “really, really proud of (the scene) now,” adding that it was an acting experience she will “never forget.”

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The beef The actress also talked about another memorable singing performance she gave in Emily in Paris‘ final season. During a visit to Rome with Emily in the final episode, the two friends are walking through a piazza at night when something Emily says about the magic of Rome gives Mindy a spark of inspiration for a song she’s writing.

She walks up to a street performer at a piano and asks the man if she can use the instrument. She sits down and sings an emotional ballad – which she and Emily later call “Beautiful Ruins” – as a crowd gathers around to listen.

“The last song in ‘Rome’ is special just because it was original. It’s one that Mindy wrote,” Park told PEOPLE of the moment, adding, “(Songwriter) Freddy Wexler did such a wonderful job of infusing what felt like truth in my life into what was happening with the character.”

At the premiere of part 2 of the fourth season on the red carpet Emily in Paris Creator Darren Star explained his decision to take the series – in which Paris plays a central role – to Rome, telling PEOPLE he wanted to “expand the footprint of the series” and “expand the universe.”

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

Star also expressed his hope that the series, which premiered in 2020, will get a fifth season. “I hope so,” he said, noting that he already has “some ideas” about how Emily, Mindy and the other main characters might continue. “It’s really a fun story to tell over and over again.”

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