By Vicki Hogarth @ www.askmen.com
AM : For people who don’t know, how did you originally get involved in The Hills, which came out of Laguna Beach?
AP : I was already living in L.A. and established. I had a full-time job at Quixote Studios. The place where I was living at the time – I was laying out on the sundeck of the pool. The executive producer Adam Divello was out there scouting the place for Lauren and Heidi because they were moving to L.A. He came up to me and talked to me, and I told what I was doing and why I was in L.A. and I wanted to do acting. I went in and met with the other people. I met Heidi and we became friends instantly. Lauren and I didn’t become friends instantly, but Heidi and I did. I started filming three weeks later.
AM : Did you worry that going into reality TV might hinder your dreams of being an actor? AP : Yes. I really did. I contemplated for days. I was so unsure. Then I thought, “What have I got to lose? I’ll just do this for the last part of the month and it will be a good experience in front of the camera.” Then five years later, I am still in it.
AM : I had read that you originally planned on leaving the show after the fifth season but you’ve signed on for season six. What was it that made you stay?
AP : I was going to sign off for good, and then I talked to the producers and I’m still doing my show. I’m not going to do the full season six. I’m doing it because it’s a good paycheck and it’s easy.
AM : When you do your spin off – called The Audrina Show, tentatively – what will the focus of that be?
AP : Everything from photo shoots to red carpet events to going to auditions -- my publicist and my team. The tone of it is very raw and very different from The Hills.
AM : Did you ever feel that you were misrepresented on The Hills?
AP : Yeah, totally. It’s so frustrating, and I get so angry because my fans really believe that sometimes. It’s really frustrating sometimes because I am playing myself, so sometimes in different situations it’s been edited or cut differently. I figure, with my show, it will be more raw and real. All the e-mails I get from my fans, they basically want to know more, like Why don’t they show the paparazzi? Why were you seen here with this person but it’s not on The Hills? Why aren’t you ever seen with The Hills people hanging out? So this is really me opening up my real private door and letting my friends come with me on my real… my journey.
AM : Cool. I know that Kristin Cavallari has said that she came back to The Hills because she’s known for drama and she knows how to create it. Is that something you agree with [on The Hills] – that a lot of it is created for the sake of drama? AP : The cameras are there, and you’re obviously going to hype things up a little bit, especially when there’s alcohol involved and going to clubs [laughs]. Definitely, it’s easy to create drama and make things more interesting.
AM : Is Spencer [Pratt] -- I can’t stand him because I only know him through what I read and what I watch -- is he really as awful of a person as I think he is?
AP : I don’t really know him, to be honest. I haven’t seen him since we filmed at Heidi [Montag]’s birthday last year. I really can’t say. I don’t really know how he is. I only see how he is in the tabloids. When I see him in person, I don’t really talk to him, so I have no idea.
AM : I know that you have spoken about Heidi's plastic surgery, which is obviously in the tabloids right now. Do you think that’s something she did as a publicity stunt or is it a self-image thing?
AP : That’s something you’d really have to ask her. I haven’t seen her or talked to her in person since she got it. We’ll text back and forth now and then, but that’s about it. I really don’t know. I haven’t even seen the inside of the [Us Weekly] magazine yet [that feautres a cover story on Heidi's surgery]; I’ve only seen the cover. That’s it.
AM : Did you have a reaction to her album not doing so well? There were only a thousand albums sold in the first week.
AP : I haven’t even heard her album yet. I know that she worked on it for three years. I don’t know. When I first met Heidi, she never wanted to be a singer. I think it’s just something she did to have fun with.
AM : Do you watch Jersey Shore? Because it's pretty much the exact opposite of you guys on The Hills.
AP : I know! I have watched it. It’s completely opposite!
AM : What do you think is the draw to that show and why it ended up working?
AP : I watched it, and I watched about four episodes in a row. I was like, “Oh my God! What’s going to happen with Sammi and that guy?” I don’t know. You just want to see what else they’re going to do because they’re just so out there and random. There are always fights, and what they say! It’s so funny.AM : Do you think though that they’ll be able to do a second season because they’ll be a lot more aware – like you already are – of the editing and the drama?
AP : I think they don’t care because they actually have cameras in the house. It reminds me of The Real World. I think we’re more aware -- or I know I am -- and I won’t do crazy things just to get a reaction and be crazy because I have a future and I want to go further in my future with acting. It depends if they have goals other than being drunk on a reality TV show.
AM : I also read, in terms of acting, that it’s possible that you will be starring in a film version of L.A. Candy [a novel based on The Hills by Lauren Conrad]. Do you know anything about that?
AP : I haven’t even read the book. I am not going to star in it, and I’m not even going to be in it. I haven’t read the book at all. I have heard that Lauren based it off of us girls from the previous season. I heard how she portrayed my character, and it isn’t like me at all. She kind of made me sound really ditsy and stupid. So yeah, I don’t think so. I’ll pass on that.AM :Have you experienced in your own life -- I’m thinking back to Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey -- is it possible to have a real love life when you are a star of a reality show or does it become a problem or an issue?
AP :It does become a problem because there is always drama and there are always people in your ear. You start questioning each other and whether things are true or if they’re false. If you’re not together all the time then you really don’t know. It’s really hard to have a relationship and be on a reality show, but I feel if you both start off where you’re very open about things and honest with each other then it could work.
AM :If you could do it all over again with The Hills, would you still make the decision, looking back?AP :You know what, I don’t regret it. I would definitely still do it. It was so much fun. The girls and I had our ups and downs, but for the most part, I had an amazing time filming The Hills and I experienced so much from it and learned so much, so definitely I would do it again.
AM :Do you find that you learn more about what’s happening in your life from the tabloids than you do from the actual people involved?
Yes. I find out in the tabloids that I’m dating someone before I actually am dating someone. Most of it is not true, and I try to clear up as much as I can on my Twitter or on my website, but a lot of time I just laugh at it. People are going to believe what they want.
AM :Can you really ignore the cameras [on the show] when they’re there and you’re filming a really emotional moment?
AP : Yeah. I think from filming so long that you learn how to block them out. Now, when we film, I don’t even feel that the cameras are there. I’m aware of them, but I don’t let that stop me from acting or still being emotional or saying what I’m going to say.
AM :What’s your filming schedule actually like? Is it a Monday-to-Friday type thing?AP :It really depends. This week we’re on hold Wednesday to Saturday, and the next week we are on hold Wednesday to Monday. It changes every week depending what’s going on and everybody’s schedule
AM :I know you were in Into the Blue this year. Do you have anything else – acting-wise – on the horizon?
AP: I did Into the Blue two years ago, I think. This past year, Sorority Row came out. That was really fun -- with Rumer [Willis] and Briana [Evigan] and everybody. I made such good friends from that. I’d love to do more movies, but it’s hard because when I do get parts, they require months of filming and, when filming a reality show, they don’t allow that. Well, with The Hills -- they don’t allow that -- but with my show, I can bring the cameras with me to the set.
AM : Do you think you will be friends with some of your cast members when you're done with The Hills?
AP: Yeah, I think I will stay in touch with everybody. I run into them. It’s obviously going to happen in L.A. It’s a big city, but it’s not so big because everybody goes to the same places. I’ll still stay in touch, and I’ll still see everybody now and then.
AM :Is it going to be weird when you’re older and your kids are going to be able to watch it? Is that something that is exciting to you?AP : Yes, it is, but I don’t want my kids watching it until they’re teenagers! [laughs] It will be exciting. You don’t watch it for years but when you do, all those memories come back and the feelings that you went through.
AM :It might be hard to tell them that you did things differently!
AP :I know.
AM :Do you think reality shows are here to stay, or do you think it is a phenomenon that might fade out over the next five years or so?
AP : I really feel like people are still interested in real people, and there are so many different kinds of reality TV right now. I think people think they can relate to the people on reality shows more than actors. But then again, who knows? This industry changes so quickly. You never know.
~ By Vicki Hogarth @ www.askmen.com
