Jennifer Tilly is ready for her close-up — in the new season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hillsthat is.
Three months after it was announced that Tilly, 65, would be joining the cast of season 14 of RHOBH alongside Bomoza Saint John, the actress is opening up about what it means to be on the show after appearing as a guest star in seasons 10, 12 and 13.
Speaking to ET’s Brice Sander from the Sutton Stracke Green Label Capsule Collection Show at the Godfrey Hotel in Hollywood on Monday, Tilly expressed her excitement at finally getting the chance to be promoted to the role of “friend.”
“My God, it’s so exciting, you know, I’ve been a great Housewives fan since the beginning, since the first episode, so now it’s like I’ve stepped into TV,” the actress shared, adding that it means a lot to do this with her best friend, Sutton Stracke – What’s this?. “I can witness everything firsthand.”
As for how filming for the highly anticipated new season is going, Tilly is keeping her lips sealed. So far we know that Kyle Richards, Erika Girardi, Dorit Kemsley, Garcelle Beauvais, Crystal Kung Minkoff, Stracke, and Saint John are all set to return as full cast members.
“Well, it’s a little crazy, but I, you know, I love all these girls — I really admire them,” she shared with ET. “It’s a really hard job to create entertainment out of nothing and they all do a phenomenal job.”
Tilly isn’t the only familiar face returning to TV sets for the new season, however. Returning as a “friend” for season 14 is Kathy Hilton, who has appeared as a guest and friend since season 1. On Monday night, Hilton, 65, and Tilly even posed together at Stracke’s fashion show.
For the Oscar-nominated actress, jumping from guest to friend wasn’t such a big leap, as she was already pretty comfortable with her castmates. She says it helps that they’ve all hung out together in the past and even traveled together on trips around the world.
“I’ve bonded with all the girls, you know, when you go on these little trips,” she said. “It’s kind of like when you’re in a rowboat in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean — even if you don’t like someone at the beginning of the trip — by the end of the trip, you really — you’ve shared an experience.”
Inside the fashion show – where she walked in one of her best friend’s designs – Tilly posed for photos alongside Stracke and others Real Housewives of Beverly Hills cast members including Hilton, Richards and Beauvais.
She shared that she couldn’t be more proud to finally see Stracke pursue a big dream: creating her own fashion line.
“I love her all over… for the whole sustainable fashion thing, and, you know, she’s always been a fashionista and for her to become a designer now is amazing and I’m so proud of her,” Tilly said of walking in Stracke’s show.
In 2021, ET talked to the Chucky actress about her RHOBH fandom and how in tune she was with her best friend of several decades.
“Oh my gosh, I’m a huge fan and I’ve watched every season. I have to say it’s a little more nerve-wracking when one of your dear friends is, you know, in the shooting gallery,” the actress shared. “Sutton has cried a lot this year, but everyone gets their turn in the hot seat. And I say kudos to all the girls who are putting on a great show during the pandemic for us to watch.”
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