In the last 10 years since the show first aired, Lauren Conrad has set her sights on more than just The Hills: She’s published nine books, created an entire lifestyle brand, and launched clothing line Paper Crown and a self-named line at Kohl's. But now, she's going back ... to the beginning. The Hills: That Was Then, This Is Now airs tomorrow at 9 p.m., and according to what Lauren tells us, it will change that way you conceptualize realness in reality TV.
In the special, it seems that we'll finally see the crew’s impact on shaping the narrative we ate up: the “10 people in the room” that Lauren says she and her (sometimes fake, sometimes real) friends put up with for years, because, as she makes clear, “that that was all just part of the deal… That was part of our job.” (But was it their job to entertain us by suffering through the pains of faking drama? And what does it say about the collective us that we not just believed it, but ate it up?)
Obviously, we are tuning in to watch the special to find out literally anything and everything about The Hills, but for now, we have to say this: if LC is the girl who didn’t go to Paris, Lauren is the woman who could tell you a lot about what really went down with that girl. But will she? TBD.
To hold you over until the MTV special ruins us all, Teen Vogue talked with Lauren told us about the only current reality show that she watches (no, it’s not The Bachelor!), conflict resolution, and the job of making your life into content. Oh, and Paris. Duh.
Teen Vogue: With this special coming up, people keep saying, "Oh, it's a reunion! I’m so stoked for The Hills reunion!" But it's through your perspective, right? Can you talk a little bit about that?
Lauren Conrad: Sure. I had talked to MTV a little bit before the 10 year anniversary. They talked about wanting to do something, and they had brought back one of the producers who worked on The Hills, Jason Sands, who's amazing. We sat down and talked about if we were going to do a special, what we would want it to be. We knew that we wanted it to be some sort of look back, reflecting on the experience. We also knew we wanted it to be something a little bit different than what we've done before. We really wanted it to focus on what the experience was like — really telling the story of how the show was made.
TV: Speaking of how the show was “made,” was there a storyline that you wish you hadn't said yes to in the taping of The Hills itself?
LC: I don't think there is one. I think that a lot of times, obviously, the storylines were dictated by what was going on in our lives. I think that there were certain things at the time that I was really reluctant to let them shoot, but at the end of the day, I always felt okay about sharing that part of my life, because I felt like that's what I signed up for. I don't think I have any major regrets. I definitely had moments where I was upset that I was forced to confront people, or have conversations that I wasn't ready to have, but looking back, I think that that was all just part of the deal.
TV: A lot of those storylines involved conflict. Did taping the show teach you anything about conflict resolution? Do you think it taught you to confront issues immediately, or do you think that it taught you that you really need time before dealing with an issue?
LC: I've never really been a fan of confrontation —so it taught me to deal with it. Sometimes a little bit of time is a good thing. I think that when you're forced to confront it right away, emotions are high. It's higher stakes. You're more emotional. You're going to say things you don't really mean, which is wonderful for TV! But for your personal relationships, it's not always great. We didn't always have time to let it digest, and to calm down. We kind of had to deal with it immediately, but, again, that was just ... That was part of our job.
TV: Did you ever have any interest after finishing your last episode on The Hills to continue that job in another way — like, to produce reality TV, or to be involved in unscripted development in any way?
LC: No. I don't think so. I think especially right at the end, I was ready to distance myself from reality television. I needed some time to sort of put my life back together, to adjust to not being on camera. I also think that it would be difficult for me to be on the production side of reality television, because I've been on the talent side, so I would be much too sympathetic towards people. Some of the producers that I felt like were not sympathetic towards me, they got some of the best storylines. They were able to separate themselves. Sometimes that feels cold. You're like: "Oh, why would you put me in this vulnerable state on camera?!" But that does make for the best television. I don't think I would be a really good producer, because I would be too sympathetic.
TV: Do you watch any reality TV on your own, now? Are you thinking about how those people feel when you watch, being that you identify as overly sympathetic?
LC: Not really. I don't watch a ton of reality. The only thing I watch is Shahs of Sunset. It's my guilty pleasure. I think it's so funny, but that's the only one. I think that the story lines on Shahs are just so over the top that I'm able to get past it. They're just ridiculous. But yes, typically if reality television is on, and I'm watching, I think that I'm ... I just immediately putting myself in that position, relating to them. I don't think I enjoy it as much.
TV: There are so many reality moments that came from seemingly awkward or sad moments that became pretty iconic. Like "Homeboy wore combat boots to the beach,” or "You know what you did!" Do you still have people coming up to you and saying those quotes?
LC: Not really. Not in recent years. I think my first book tour, when it hadn't been that much time since I was off the show, yes, I got a lot more of that, or people wanted me to say stuff. Nowadays, I think the only thing that people say is they just want to talk to me about Paris. They just want to tell me that they didn't go to Paris, or they did go to Paris. That's really the only thing I get at signings.
TV: “The girl who didn’t go to Paris” was definitely a surprise at the time. In watching this special, what do you think will surprise people?
LC: I think the fact that cameras were watching our every move was such an important element of this show that was never acknowledged. I think that I would like for it to change people's perspective just a little bit, to look at the show in a different way. You never saw a camera. We never acknowledged the fact that when two people are having a deep conversation, there's actually 10 people in the room. I think that's probably what I'd like people to take away. It's sort of a new way to look at the show.
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She may have not grown up in the Hills, but Gigi Hadid is the epitome of California cool:
