"I can't wait for people to ... take me seriously as an actress."
Kristin Cavallari, who starred on MTV’s Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County and is about to make her debut as the lead protagonist on The Hills this coming Fall, gave an interview to The New York Post to promote her new film Van Wilder: Freshman Year (straight-to-DVD release). Among the questions asked of Cavallari about this Van Wilder film, she also answered a few questions about her return to Reality TV and what it means to her career to be starring on The Hills. Judging by her assessment of appearing on The Hills, it sounds as if the lass is biting the hand that feeds her by saying her stint on the show feels like a “step backwards” for her career aspirations. Here is a portion of KC’s interview with the NYP’s Pop Watch:
Following in Audrina Patridge’s wah-wah wake is Kristin Cavallari, who nabbed the lead role in “Van Wilder: Freshman Year.” As Kaitlin, the plucky army brat who falls for Van’s signature brand of amour, she is totally opposite of what you’re expecting. And that’s the point. Although Kristin’s returning to “The Hills” this September, acting is her true passion and she plans to be it for the long haul. No topic was off limits as we talked about preparing for her biggest role to date, why she went back to reality TV and what she really thinks of “The Hills”!
PopWrap: Were you dubious about starring in a threequel?
Kristin Cavallari: Yes definitely! And filming it, you always think great things, but you never know how it’s going to turn out … but I was pleasantly surprised.
PW: Do you like watching yourself on screen?
Kristin: I hate it! I hate watching myself on screen! I absolutely hate it, it’s so hard to watch. I can see myself in magazines, but watching on TV or movies is like “ugh.”
PW: I’d imagine your background in reality TV makes it harder to land feature films, true?
Kristin: The “Van Wilder” producers didn’t want to hire me, I had to audition three times for this movie. They thought I was just some girl from reality TV, which I understand. It just makes me fight harder.
PW: You mentioned earlier that being on reality TV makes it hard for you to book movies, then why return to “The Hills”?
Kristin: It was a really hard choice for me. MTV’s been asking me to do it for years. I 100% want to be an actress, but with “Van Wilder: Freshman Year” coming out and a few other movies, I thought this would be an exciting way for my fans to reconnect with me because they haven’t seen what I’ve been up to since “Laguna Beach.” I thought it would help and, after all, it’s what mad me famous int he first place.
PW: Has your small appearance in the season finale affected the way casting directors see you yet?
Kristin: I haven’t been able to audition for anything since contractually MTV won’t let me. But I’ll telly you this, I’ve gotten a lot more phone calls about going on other shows since.
PW: Did you always want to be an actress?
Kristin: I always wanted to, but I just never thought it was a realistic goal. I was in Chicago and Colorado before that, so I never thought I had a shot. But when these opportunities arose, I thought, why not.
PW: So if “Laguna” never happened, what would you be doing now?
Kristin: I would have gone to college to study broadcast journalism. I wanted to go to Emerson College and would have tried to become a news anchor.
PW: Did you ever go to college?
Kristin: I went to one class at Loyola Marymount. I took public speaking where we went around the room and everyone had to say their name. I said, “Hi, I’m Kristin Cavallari from Laguna Beach” and that’s when “Laguna” was actually on TV, so I just decided it wasn’t the right time.
PW: Do you want to go back to college eventually?
Kristin: No. Even in high school … it was just enough. I’m really happy with what I’m doing. I read a lot of books, you know. So, no. I have no urge to go back to college.
PW: Down the road, where do you see your career going?
Kristin: I want to do great movies that are number one at the box office and also independent movies that are dark and miserable. I see myself with a career like Cameron Diaz — she does “What Happens in Vegas” and then “My Sister’s Keeper,” so I want to do it all!
PW: Is she your biggest inspiration?
Kristin: Cameron is number one, but I also like Charlize Theron and Sienna Miller … I’m going off looks too [laughs].
PW: How has being back on reality TV been for you?
Kristin: Well, we’ve only filmed for two weeks, so it’s hard to say, but I can tell you that it’s … everyone’s been … it’s been hard for them to adjust to me I think. So that in and of itself has caused a lot of drama.
PW: Is it weird going from a legit movie to doing loosely scripted reality TV?
Kristin: With “The Hills,” they have everything down to such a science, you don’t have to think about blocking. But doing “The Hills” has made me want to act so badly. I need a challenge and kinda feel like “The Hills” is taking me a step backwards. But that just makes me want to act that much more and try that much harder.
PW: So we shouldn’t expect to see you starring on “The Hills” in 2020?
Kristin: God no [laughs]. I would have not signed up for that. I’m only tied in to two seasons … so we’ll see how things play out.
I have to admit, I’ve got NOTHING but lurve for my girl Kristin Cavallari … and, to be honest, I think her aim to be the next “Cameron Diaz” is a pretty achievable goal. Cameron is a pretty successful actress even if she’s not that talented (ie. she’ll never be an award contender and, yet, she still gets a lot of work). I think KC can have a similar career. While she feels that The Hills may be a “step backwards” for her, I think it’s a great way to give her career a shot of publicity … that may help her career in the long run. Look at where starring on The Hills took Lauren LC Conrad. She’s a New York Times best selling author these days. Not too shabby. I love you KC, keep your chin up and have fun with The Hills. It could turn out to be the best career decision you ever made.
[Photo credit: Splash News; Source]
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