For every Jacinda Barrett there is a bottomless pit of reality show stars who try, and fail, to become actors. Comfy down there "Survivor's" Colleen Haskell? But considering the kids of "The Hills" have basically been acting all along, their transition makes a little more sense. 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: Speaking of, your character is a ROTC instructor, are you a fighter in real life?
Kristin: I think so! [laughs] I have a lot of sides to my personality and what you see on "The Hills" is a strong, independent woman, which I am. But I also have a sensitive side that I don't show too much. So for this, I channeled the tomboy inside of me.
PW: When I first "met" your character, I was kind of turned off because she's one of those cutesy pet name people.
Kristin: I know ... that is super cheesy. I would never do that.
PW: Is that the fastest way to turn you off?
Kristin: It depends on what the pet name is, I guess. I don't think I've ever had one and I don't think I ever want one [laughs].
Kristin: Well, she has a huge arc in this movie, really changes. But yes, I think she likes him from the beginning.
PW: Do you believe in love at first sight?
Kristin: I don't know. I mean, I can tell within the first two minutes if I'm into someone or not. I can always tell if I get butterflies. The first thing I notice about a guy is his face, but once he opens his mouth and talks it can all change.
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 made me famous in the 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 tell 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.
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: This is the biggest role you've ever had in a movie, are you excited for people to see you differently?
Kristin: I'm so excited, I can't wait for people to see this movie and take me seriously as an actress. I was so nervous during filming but I fought for this role. I want people to love it.
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.
Credit - NY Post - pop wrap
