In a new interview Phaedra Parks talks about how the woman she plays on TV is an exaggeration of who she really is; claiming the producers encourage the ladies to play a part! Shockingly, Phaedra admits that the editors manipulate how the characters appear on screen!
The Real Housewives of Atlanta star, famous for her “Everybody knows…” statements and sassy commentary, reveals that while there is a part of her personality that is “silly and Southern-belle-esque” the producers “prefer” to show that side over her serious side. Phaedra wisely takes it with a grain of salt, explaining: “At the end of the day, I hope when people watch the show, they realize it’s for entertainment.”
“If you don’t have editing rights, you can say a lot of different things and once it’s on the editing table, it might look like something else,” she informs us. ”That’s part of reality TV. Everything on reality TV isn’t as real as you think it is.” Phaedra is well aware that she can act like the normal, sophisticated, professional woman she is almost all the time, but the minute she resorts to cattiness the producers will “air the dopey or catty quote.”
“I try to live without regrets,” she says of participating in the show. Adding she would not do anything differently from last season because the producers chose how each of the women are portrayed. “It doesn’t matter how careful you are. Whatever your character is, is what they make it to be,” she quips. “It’s not who I am but who the producers think I am.” Wow! Is someone trying to get their contract terminated!?
“For people who know me, they understand that. We each have distinct characters on the show. No one is one dimensional. Characters have to be consistent to the part they’re playing.”
Interestingly, Bravo recently released a comment chastising Millionaire Matchmaker’s Patti Stanger for attempting to pitch a new reality show where all the characters were required to “act” a certain way for the story, saying they don’t produce shows with “stipulations” about how the participants behave!
Phaedra does not feel the show has changed her or affected her professional standing. “I still have the same friends. I am still doing the same things I was doing prior to ‘Housewives.’ ” So is D-wrong Eubanks her friend in real-life or a made for TV acquaintance?
Commenting about how appearing on TV as the ditzy Southern Belle may affect her legal career, Phaedra isn’t worried! “My reputation speaks for itself,” she declares. “The TV show hasn’t changed people’s thoughts about me. It makes me more recognizable.”
As for how the show merges her real-life with the show, Phaedra reveals she truly is friends with co-stars Kandi Burruss and Sheree Whitfield. “We speak quite a bit,” she says of Kandi. “I knew her prior to the show but this has afforded us more time to hang out with each other. I consider her part of my close circle of friends.”
Speaking about Sheree’s on-going custody and child support issues with ex-husband Bob Whitfield, Phaedra was more than happy to help! “Sheree and I have become close friends as well. Any time a friend comes for legal advice, I’ll do anything I can.” Phaedra was also a guest at co-star and friend Kim Zolciak’s 11-11-11 nuptials. A TwitPic of Phaedra, Kandi, and Patti attending the wedding is below!
There is one person Phaedra definitely does not share an off-screen relationship with — NeNe Leakes! “Obviously, we take a very long trip to Africa,” she snips.
As for her interest in the funeral business Phaedra assures us it’s very real! She has an interest in learning “all aspects” of the business and has even enrolled in part-time mortuary classes!
Moving on, tonight is an all-new episode of Real Housewives of Atlanta! In the second episode of the season titled “Surprisingly Rich”, NeNe, Cynthia Bailey and Kandi take a trip to Miami after NeNe’s feud with Sheree. How they roped Kandi into that trip I’ll never understand! Also, Phaedra begins to seriously consider the funeral business and someone throws her a surprise birthday party!
The new episode airs at 9/8c and a preview clip is below!
On Watch What Happens Live, the guest is none other than NeNe who I am sure will have plenty of comments about everyone and everything – including Kim’s wedding!
THOUGHTS ON PHAEDRA’S INTERVIEW? DO YOU BELIEVE HER STATEMENTS ABOUT BRAVO MANIPULATING HOW THE WOMEN ARE PORTRAYED OR IS SHE BLAMING EDITING?
The RHOA cast plus Patti Stanger at Kim’s wedding!
