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