Audrina Patridge

Audrina Patridge, the 24-year-old aspiring actress (and avid bikini-wearer) who stirred up multitudes of catty intrigue on The Hills, is stepping out on her own. After appearing in the horror film Sorority Row this fall and completing work on another season of The Hills, she’s set to move on to her own vehicle, tentatively titled The Audrina Show. The new series will document Patridge’s attempts to make it as an actress in Hollywood; the gossip blogs will document the rest. The day before The Hills geared up to finish taping its fifth season, she spoke to us about the nature of fame, fact, and fiction.

MICHAEL MARTIN: Are you glad The Hills is going to be over for you?

AUDRINA PATRIDGE: I feel like I got so many great opportunities. I did it for five years; it gets to the point where you’re ready to graduate and move on to the next journey. I definitely feel much more comfortable in front of the cameras after The Hills. Before, it was much more nerve-racking.

MARTIN: Aren’t you tired of being followed by cameras?

PATRIDGE: It’s not like they follow you around 24/7. Now that we’re wrapping up The Hills, we’re toning down. We shoot two days a week instead of four days a week. There are times when you want your privacy, when you don’t want the cameras in your face capturing your every move, every tear, every look. But I’ve gotten used to it.

MARTIN: How produced and plotted are these shows? If you’re only shooting two days a week, they must give you an outline of stuff to do, right?

PATRIDGE: Um . . . [laughs] They have all of us call in to talk to the producers about what we’re doing and what’s going on in our lives for the next week. Then if they’re interested in filming it, they’ll ask us if they’re allowed to follow us—they have to get permission and permits. There’s a lot of going out and recapping of the night before. The editing does change it a little bit. So sometimes it can be frustrating. But at the end of the day, it’s Hollywood. It’s entertainment.

MARTIN: The Audrina Show. Whose idea was that?

PATRIDGE: A few producers had approached me about it. My manager knew [Survivor producer] Mark Burnett, so we set up a meeting. We just started talking about my life and The Hills, and how I was ready to move on to the next journey, and all my fans who want to see more of my life and my relationships and family—kind of outside The Hills bubble. We just pitched it to some networks, and MTV ended up winning—which is kind of nice because that’s where I started.

MARTIN: What’s the weirdest rumor that’s been made up about you?

PATRIDGE: There’ve been so many. People said I was pregnant. I took my brother out in L.A. with me, and they said he was my new boyfriend. If I’m out having lunch with someone, they assume that’s who I’m dating. I just sit back and laugh at it.

MARTIN: Do you like watching yourself?

PATRIDGE: It’s something that’s grown on me. At the beginning of The Hills, I couldn’t watch myself because I’m very critical and would pick myself to pieces. But with movies I feel like it’s different because you’re playing a character. So it’s like watching yourself but not watching yourself.

MARTIN: If The Hills comes on when you’re at home, do you watch or change the channel?

PATRIDGE: I’ll change it.

Photo: Audrina Patridge in Los Angeles, August 2009. Jacket: Diane Von Furstenberg. Bra and underwear: Agent Provocateur. Boots: Roberto Cavalli. Hair products: Leonor Greyl, including Laque Souple. Cosmetics: Lancôme, including Definicils mascara. Fragrance: Serpentine by Roberto Cavalli. Styling: Moses Moreno. Hair: Terry Millet/PhotogenicsBeauty at Smashbox. Makeup: JohnMcKay/Frank Reps. Special Thanks: The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.