Does Kim Kardashian Deserve All The Backlash For Her Variety Interview?
I’ll admit, when Variety first dropped its lineup of pairings for its 20th season of Actors on Actors, seeing Kim Kardashian was a jump scare. Especially learning that she had been paired with the revered actor/cool girl Chloë Sevigny.
But even taking my shock into account, the Instagram comments on the Variety post were pretty savage.
“Why the hell is Kim Kardashian on here among all these ACTUAL talented actors?” one user wrote. “Kim Kardashian? Really?” commented another. “Who on earth chose Kim Kardashian and paired her with Chloë Sevigny?!?! Jesus!” remarked a disgruntled Kimmy hater.
To be fair, it is valid to question why Kim Kardashian would be included in a lineup of established, acclaimed actors discussing the craft and their passion for it. Variety’s chat show has been a staple of the magazine’s online presence since 2014, with last year’s 19th season garnering “over 145 million views across the brand’s social media platforms.” People absolutely froth watching their favourite actors candidly interviewing each other, and the series is often an extension of an actor’s publicity tour (i.e. plugging a new project/creating awards season buzz).
So, again, seeing Kim in the mix felt a little… off, but I wasn’t ready to write her off completely. I decided to watch the interview so I could judge it for myself, and while I do agree with some of the online criticism, I think we need to cut Kimmy some slack.
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Firstly, the pairing of Kim and Chloë isn’t as strange as I thought it was initially. They’re both in Ryan Murphy shows, they’re both fashion-obsessed and both have decades of experience in front of the camera, though clearly in very different capacities. The two discuss their shared love of old Hollywood actresses and the artistry of hair and makeup, as well as the benefit of surrounding yourself on set with those you trust.
Secondly, while she could have amped it up a little, Kim has enough self-awareness to know her experience differs from her contemporaries. She acknowledges that Ryan Murphy approached her with the opportunity, and shares her admiration for his support. When Chloë gushed about Ryan giving her the chance to play a different role, Kim concurred. “Isn’t he the best at making you feel so confident that you can do it?”
“He’s been so great to work with. So, again, I feel spoiled that it’s my, you know, first big experience and he’s been so amazing to work with,” she continued, adding that learning the business in such a short amount of time has been fascinating.
Kim also acknowledges that her movie taste is pretty basic. “The films that I really love are not gonna be sophisticated at all,” she admits, listing Clueless, The Notebook and Troop Beverly Hills amongst some of her favourites (girl same). Chloë, who I should note is an incredibly generous partner in this exchange, tells Kim non-judgmentally that she loves Pretty in Pink and Sixteen Candles.
Image Credit: Mary Ellen Matthews/Variety
We should also remember that while Kim is only now making her foray into acting, the woman has grown up completely Hollywood-adjacent her whole life, which is an interesting perspective to hold as an actor. The pair discuss Ryan Murphy’s The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story, in which both of Kim’s parents were portrayed. They also discuss his upcoming Menendez Brothers series (of which Chloë has a starring role), and Kim recounts growing up down the street from the house everything happened in. “Everyone went to the same schools and the same neighbourhood, so I remember hearing about that case.”
Thirdly, she didn’t cast herself, you guys, she was selected. Can we redirect our anger please? Yes, it can be frustrating that the Kimmy Ks of the world are afforded opportunities that most of us can only dream of, but is it Kim’s fault for taking advantage of an industry that insists on her involvement?
During the interview, Kim shares how each year she wants to do something completely new that terrifies her in order to grow, and how that all started with her SNL appearance. “I just was like, ‘I don’t know if I can do it’. I had said no a few times, I just didn’t think I could ever do it. And then finally I got the confidence to say, you know, ‘I’m gonna try it’,” she tells Chloë. Yes, it’s on a pretty unique scale, but isn’t this the kind of attitude we should be applauding?
Being the absolute class act that she is, Chloë has since taken to socials amid the interview’s backlash to defend Kim, proclaiming that she is “always excited to celebrate every kind of actor” and I absolutely love her for it.
Image Credit: Instagram
While I do agree that Kim was a little stiff and could have asked Chloë a few more insightful questions, I think tearing this interview to shreds is a bit much. The industry can veer into pretentious territory so easily, it was actually refreshing to see a serious actor shoot the shit and discuss topics that may not have arisen if paired with someone else. Plus, you can support Chloë without tearing Kim down.
So, haters, take a page out of Kim’s book and do something new that terrifies you, aka leaving this woman alone.
Written by Lil Friedmann, a staunch defender of pop cutlure girlies. You can follow her at @lilfriedmann on socials.
Image credit: Mary Ellen Matthews for Variety