There’s no denying it, my fellow reality TV fans. We are currently in the Real Housewives renaissance. Housewives storylines are making headlines across the world, the fandom has totally taken over social media, and the ladies are being cast in some pretty sick gigs, such as Kyle Richards who has reprised her role in the Halloween franchise for its latest flick, Halloween Kills.
In the lead-up to the film’s release, I jumped on a call with the queen of Beverly Hills to chat about her return to cinema (that portion of our interview will drop in a couple of weeks, closer to when the film hits theatres on October 28), to chat about everything from horror to Housewives.
Side note: Kyle Richards has been my numero uno favourite Housewife of all franchises since day one, so this interview was a huge deal for me. Kyle was actually the driving force in my becoming a Housewives stan! I remember quickly becoming obsessed with not just the dynamic of the Richards sisters, but in particular the brunette actress with ethereal hair who could hold her own in a fight against a psycho psychic and bust a move on the d-floor (I don’t even care if it was the same two moves every time, the hair flip and the splits are timeless, damn it!).
Well, my fellow Kyle Richards stans will be happy to know that she’s just as friendly, warm and kind in real life as she appears on-screen. Whether you stan her or not, there’s no denying that she’s a class act and the cornerstone of Real Housewives culture.
Hey Kyle! It was so incredible to see you return to the big screen, how’s it all been?
It was honestly a dream come true. I’ve been asked about it over the years so many times and the fact that it finally happened, I was so excited about it! And I was shooting the Housewives at the same time as Halloween, so it’s kind of been going back and forth.
And I just found myself, even though we were filming night shoots, I go to work at 5pm and we come home at 7 in the morning, but I was never tired on the set because I was so excited to be there and reprising the role.
I bet the adrenaline gets ya going!
Oh, so much adrenaline! I was like, ‘How am I still wide awake?’ [laughs]
I find it so cool that you’re known for both the reality TV and the horror genre. You’re one of the few actresses who can say that! How does it feel?
I feel extremely fortunate and on top of that I’m also producing television, and I also just did a Christmas movie that comes out on Thanksgiving. So just to be able to do all of these different things, it so fits my personality because I’m a multitasker so for me to have my hands in all these different genres is exciting for me!
That’s such Capricorn energy.
Yes, it is! I am a Capricorn. It’s so true. I’m someone who likes to be busy and do a lot of things. If you come to my house, I’ve got four kids, five dogs, so much going on! And people always go, ‘I’m tired just from coming over to visit you.’
So tell me about this injury that you incurred on-set!
I was working with the stunt coordinator, and the Michael Myers stunt man, which actually is the guy who played Jason in Friday the 13th, so he’s this big guy. Then when we were working through the movements, the stunt coordinator got smacked in the face first, and the first time I did the exact same thing, it happened to me.
And I knew immediately, I was like, “Oh, my gosh, I just hurt myself.” But I was too scared to say anything because they had a stunt double on standby and I didn’t want them to be like “Kyle’s hurt, let’s bring in a stunt double!”
Wow, you’re such a trooper!
Then when I got back to LA, someone said, “Why is there a bone coming out of here?” So I went to the doctor and sure enough, it was broken.
Ouch! It’s such good timing for the movie to be released in cinemas for Halloween and with everything opening back up.
Exactly. I’m so glad it was postponed a year because I really wanted to have this great debut and get to have the premiere and have people be able to go out to the theatres and see it because I know people love to do that. And then they had the option to see it on Peacock, which is amazing. I love that they have the option.
What do you think will be scarier for audiences to watch: Halloween Kills or the four-part Beverly Hills reunion?
That is a tough one. Sometimes I think I’d rather hang out with Michael Myers than these girls [laughs]. I mean, it can be pretty scary. What can I tell you? They actually give me more anxiety than Michael Myers.
[laughs] I wrote an article the other day about the Halloween Kills trailer, and I made the headline: ‘Kyle Richards Faces Michael Myers In Halloween Kills Trailer & TBH She’s Faced Worse’
Exactly! I mean, honestly, when I was filming Halloween, the adrenaline kicked in, and I was so excited to be there and so into playing my character, I never felt tired! And then I’d fly back to LA to shoot the Housewives, and I would be so tired and crying and fighting, and then I’d fly back to shoot the movie.
Who would have thought that being in a horror film would feel so good?
Did you know that the reunion was gonna be a four-parter while you were filming it or was that a surprise to you?
I did not, because I believe that’s the first thing that’s ever happened, if I’m not mistaken! This is the first time we’ve ever had a four-part reunion.
There must be a lot of ground covered!
Lots of content.
Tell me about The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip! What can we expect from that?
Oh, well, that. Talk about stressful! That was the most exhausting thing I’ve ever done. Because we were filming, I think it was nine days, and there’s basically no breaks. There was no, like, ‘Oh, go take a break for an hour.’ None of that!
There was a camera in your face every single second. There were cameras in every corner of the house. And I was flattered that they asked me to be in the first season and that I was the only one from Beverly Hills. And so I said yes!
And then I thought ‘Okay, well, I’m curious to see what these women are like…’
I think the audience is really going to like it and be entertained. It’s a very different format than what we do on Beverly Hills. You know, they were coming in and asking me for interviews when I was like, just out of the shower with a coffee in my hand. I did some interviews with a towel on my head! There was no time for anything.
Housewives from various franchises joined forces for an upcoming extravaganza. (Credit: Instagram)
It doesn’t get more raw than that! That’s real reality. I love it.
It’s very raw like that, absolutely. And I was shocked because I thought, well, what is there to argue about? We’re from different franchises!
Well, there was literally an argument right out of the gate. And I just couldn’t believe that. I’m like, we haven’t even landed yet! [laughs]
I’m so damn excited! I’m also super excited for the Christmas movie, The Real Housewives of the North Pole. What can you tell me about that?
I’m so excited about it! Betsy Brandt from Breaking Bad and I play best friends who every year are in this contest for who can decorate their home best for the holidays in this town, the North Pole. And they end up having a big fight and falling out.
And their kids try to bring them back together and it’s just really heartwarming and funny and visually magical because of Christmas. And I have the best director, Ron Oliver, who does a lot of great Christmas movies. And it was just non-stop fun filming that movie. And I’m so excited to see the final product!
I think after this year, it’s just what everyone needs at Christmas time.
I think people are really going to love it! I do. It’s such a feel good movie. And it’s so funny to be doing this Halloween horror movie, and then be doing that. It couldn’t be more opposite.
And my last question, the golden question: Will you be coming back next season for The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills season 12? Please, please, please say yes!
I mean, that hasn’t been brought up yet. Every year I think ‘Oh, it’s a given,’ but you kind of wait and see how you feel, and then, you know, they start bringing it up again to see where your head’s at.
I’ve been here a long time.
You are the queen of Beverly Hills!
Well, eventually I’m gonna have to walk away!
Not now, please! We need you.
I don’t know yet, we’ll see.
Halloween Kills is in cinemas nows and part 3 of the RHOBH reunion lands on Hayu today.
Matty Galea is the Senior Entertainment Editor at PEDESTRIAN.TV who also dabbles in woo-woo stuff like astrology and crystals and has been penning horoscopes since the start of his career. He also Tweets about pop culture and astrology and posts spicy content on Instagram.
