The City’s Olivia: MTV Has Misrepresented Me
March 9, 2009
She’s become the character people love to hate on
The City. But
Olivia Palermo,
Whitney Port’s coworker at Diane von Furstenberg, says don’t believe everything you see. “I feel like MTV sits there and figures out, ‘How many non-smiling shots can we take of her?’” she says, adding that she hopes her “true character” will eventually be seen. “I’m normal, I’m down-to-earth, I’m funny, I’m sweet. I’m not out to get anyone at all!”
(The show’s executive producer
Liz Gateley responded to Palermo’s claim, saying, “All of our cast members have aspects of their lives and personalities that are not always seen on camera … We edit to tell a story as all reality series do and love what Olivia brings to the show because she’s never afraid to speak her mind.”)
Calling from London (where she was vacationing with her model boyfriend), the 23-year-old spoke to PEOPLE about how she’s nicer than she seems, her wacky cousin
Nevan and why she’s not looking to become the next
Paris Hilton.
– Serena Kappes
You’ve become a very controversial character on The City. How do you feel about that?
I hope that eventually you see my true character. And I don’t think that the show has shown that. I am a much nicer person in real life and I don’t take myself so seriously. I feel like MTV sits there and figures out, “How many non-smiling shots can we take of her?”
You feel you’ve been misrepresented?
I have and I hope that changes. I’m normal, I’m down-to-earth, I’m funny, I’m sweet. I’m not out to get anyone at all!
How about the recent episode where you seemed to steal credit from Whitney for pulling the Elle magazine cover look?
It was a joint effort — I did give Whitney the credit for pulling the shorts, and I pulled the jacket. Whitney and I were working together, it’s not about who picked what outfit. At the end of the day, it’s about making sure we get the cover and [our boss]
Alixe and
Diane von Furstenberg are happy with it.
But you were filmed telling people, “I pulled that look.”
You can do a lot with editing. Things can be taken out of context. I think the producers obviously have a certain image that they want to portray [of] me, unfortunately. There’s nothing I can do to control that. The more you see, you hopefully will see that I am a nice person and I’m not evil at all — I don’t have a mean bone in my body.
How would you qualify your relationship with Whitney?
She’s a nice girl and she’s adapted really well to New York. We film together all the time — it is hard to want to see each other outside when we’re together all the time. But I don’t have any hard feelings towards her whatsoever. We do laugh and have a good time, and sometimes you don’t see that.
What about your cousin Nevan — he’s also been controversial on the show.
Nevan’s just really funny. I can’t control what comes out of his mouth. But we are the true New Yorkers of the show — I think that’s why they brought us on, because you get to see a whole different side, not just from L.A. and Texas and Australia. You see the real New Yorkers and how it is.
You’ve been portrayed as having an elitist attitude — the “socials” vs. the downtown crowd.
I don’t get that because I live in Tribeca. I think that whole thing is created by the network. We’re young, we all live downtown, we grew up uptown but that has nothing to do with my views about everything.
Do you consider yourself a socialite?
I don’t like to put labels on anything. Calling myself a socialite — it’s a very different meaning than years ago. I think now girls are taking their name and building something out of it and turning it into a business.
Do you know Paris Hilton?
I do not. I’m friendly with her sister.
She’s definitely built a brand for herself. Do you aspire to that?
I’m my own person so I don’t really look up to anyone specifically. I just kind of do my own thing. Her creating a business — she’s done a great job at it. If I do, it’ll be in a very different way. I’m very involved with my charities, so I’d like to do something with that. I would really like to try a fashion line and produce and maybe act. But acting’s not something I want to jump into — I want to take my time with that.
So, are you ready for what comes with another season of The City?
I’m ready for the territory. I’m a New Yorker, I have a thick skin (laughs).