Jennifer Tilly Opens Up About Joining ‘The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’

Jennifer Tilly has joined the cast of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and has described the experience as like working with Martin Scorsese.

The Chucky actress recently spoke with Vulture about filming the long-running reality series, admitting that she has “always been a superfan” and was excited about joining the 14th season as a “friend.”

Tilly, who has previously appeared as a guest on Seasons 10, 12, and 13, said she was offered a recurring spot on the series in the past but turned it down. However, this year, she decided to take on the “challenge,” and it was one she cherished.

“To me, it’s like working with Martin Scorsese,” the Bound star told the outlet. “My boyfriend always says if he got $40 million, he wants to go into space and experience zero gravity. To me, being on Housewives is experiencing zero gravity. I was more excited to meet Kyle Richards and Erika Jayne and the other ladies than I was when I met Elizabeth Taylor.”

One thing that has surprised Tilly about the show is how it isn’t quite as “glamorous” as it appears on television. “I remember I was like, ‘I live in Beverly Hills, and it’d be kind of fun to see Beverly Hills through the lens of really rich people,’” she explained.

“I thought that I was going to see a lot of people shopping on Rodeo Drive, but a lot of the filming that they do is in the Valley, in places where it’s easier to get permits,” she continued. “So it’s not like you’re at the fanciest places in Beverly Hills, arguing. They’re usually arguing at some kind of non–Beverly Hills place because the really fancy, elite places don’t want Housewives screaming at each other in their dining room.”

That said, Tilly has been loving getting a front row seat to the drama. “You come in without a script. It’s just sort of like they just wade in there, and they go at it,” the Oscar nominee stated.

She added, “In real life, if you’re at a restaurant and people at the table are screaming at each other, you’re mortified like, ‘Oh my God. I can’t believe I’m with these uncouth people.’ But when I am sitting at a table with Housewives, I feel like I have a front-row seat at the Super Bowl.”

A month into filming, Tilly said she’s developed deeper empathy for the Housewives, especially knowing that the “[editors] can do anything.”

“They can make you the girl next door. They can make you the villain. They can make you the cranky one. They can make you the patient one. It depends on what they want to show, what’s going to make the story,” she shared. “Even when some Housewives were looking really bad on the show, and the fans are throwing mud at them, I had empathy for them because I thought, ‘What they’re doing is spinning a storyline out of thin air.’”

She concluded, “I appreciate what they do. I’m just going to say it’s really challenging. It’s the craziest thing I’ve ever done, but I’m really happy I’m doing it, and I think it’s such an interesting kind of sharp left turn for my career.”

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Wednesdays, 8/7c, Bravo