Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Jillian: 'I am a drama queen'

Some people are harder on themselves than others and Jillian Lewis, who is getting oh-so-close to being a finalist on Project Runway, is one of them. After the last episode, when for the first time she landed in the bottom two, Jillian takes a moment to confess all (almost) to Newsday style writer Anne Bratskeir.

AB: Um, this wasn’t your most stellar episode. What happened?
JL: It was just a point in the series that it was way too exhausting for me to keep going. I hadn’t been eating healthy, or sleeping enough. Usually I have good stamina for staying up at night and working like a crazy person. But I hit a bad point. I remember that morning when they woke us to go on a field trip; I could barely lift my head. And by now, it’s pretty obvious. I am not a fast person. It was stupid to make a coat. It wasn’t enough time for me. I tried something different and I failed.

AB: How irked were you that Victorya also made a coat after the great avant-garde one you collaborated on the week before?
JL: I was really shocked. She didn’t seem to be into that sort of thing. At the time I was annoyed. Now I’m annoyed that I was annoyed. My whole attitude was just disgusting.

AB: You said you were bleeding everywhere but the camera didn’t show it. Were you?
JL: (Laughs) I was not bleeding anywhere. That’s why I thought the whole package was disgusting. I was in pain. I hated watching myself last week.

AB: Oh so you are a bit of a drama queen?
JL: (Laughs again) I do have that side to me. You can ask my family. They’ve seen that side.

AB: Describe how you felt when you were standing on the runway with Victorya knowing you were in the bottom two.
JL: I hate to say this but I didn’t feel like I was going to be eliminated. I was so numb that when Heidi was saying ‘Your coat was terrible,’ I had the same feeling as if I were doing well. I guess it’s a whole strategy of closing off my emotions so I don’t end up in a mental institution afterwards.

AB: So, when Heidi said you were in, you didn’t almost swoon?
JL: I felt that Project Runway values creativity over failure. They at least appreciated that I tried. What Victorya did was very anti-Project Runway. But it wasn’t enough of stepping out of the box. I’m confident, not conceited and I had faith that it was not my time to go.

AB: It sure didn’t look like people were sad to see Victorya go. We noted that only Christian gave her a hug. Was that the general feeling?
JL: Victorya only had Christian as her friend and that was her decision. None of us were very connected to her and she didn’t put herself in a very friendly situation. It was the dynamic the whole time.

AB: Give us a little hint about next week’s challenge. It’s with the Divas of World Wrestling Entertainment, not your average customer. Was it a tough challenge?
JL: Yeahhhhh!!!! At first I was shocked but then I thought it was pretty cool. I used a royal blue shiny spandex coated with something. As for the Divas, I have one word for you: spray-tan.

AB: Which designer do you think is your toughest competitor?
JL: I would say Christian, partly because of his overwhelming level of confidence that makes people around him think he’s better than he is. Then again, I think he’s pretty phenomenal. And for his age he’s pretty fabulous. What’s admirable about him is that he takes risks and is not afraid of being on the bottom.

AB: Has anyone asked you for your autograph yet?
JL: My sister will send me pictures of me and her, so I will autograph them and she can give them to people at work. I am getting more attention on the street. But if someone asked for my autograph I would wonder "Why do you want me to sign a piece of paper?" I’m just like a person on a reality show.

- Anne Bratskeir

Photos from BravoTV.com

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good luck, sweetheart. You've made some beautiful things so far and always come off as a professional. You've also inspired me to rent "Fame" again!

Anonymous said...

I could really identify with you in the denim challenge. Your exhaustion and frustration were evident, and that's how I get when I feel that way.
And your coat actually looked okay, just unfinished.

eunibunny said...

This is why I love Jillian. She's honest.

Anonymous said...

Except, of course, that Victorya was also friends with Kevin, Jack and Elisa, but by the time this episode was shot they were gone. Elisa said quite clearly in an interview that the designer she felt closest to was Victorya. And it appears to my eyes that the only friend Jillian has among the other designers is Rami. It's nice that Jillian acknowledges her injustice to Victorya at the time of the taping, but then she compounds it by suggesting that Victorya is a nearly friendless recluse. Jillian is certainly one of the more accomplished designers on this season's show, but I find her behavior easily the most annoying.
Thanks,
Dale.