Kentucky native Chrishell Stause is known for her role on the Netflix reality series Selling Sunset, which follows agents of a high-end real estate brokerage firm in the Los Angeles area as they navigate their personal and professional lives. With about 20 years on television, she has starred on daytime dramas like All My Children, The Young and the Restless and Days of Our Lives.

Stause can currently be seen in the new Lifetime movie A Rose for Her Grave: The Randy Roth Story, which premiered on February 18, 2023.

Smashing Interviews Magazine: Chrishell, how are you feeling after your surgery?

Chrishell Stause: I’m actually feeling so much better. It was nice to get that out of there, and I’ve already felt immediate relief, so it’s been nice.

Smashing Interviews Magazine: Glad to hear that. Let’s talk first about the lifetime movie. A Rose for Her Grave: The Randy Roth Story. Give us a synopsis of what the movie’s about.

Chrishell Stause: This is a true crime story and also based on Ann Rule’s bestselling novel. We’ve seen this time and time before where a woman meets a man that’s maybe a little too good to be true. The best friend, who I play, Lori, starts to pick up on a few things that are sending her red flags. But she ignores the signs. It was unfortunate what he was able to get away with until he was caught.

I’m excited that the role I get to play is helping to take him down. It was a really exciting story to bring to life. I hope that we did it justice for everyone this touched in real life and also as a warning to everybody. You’ve got to be so careful. You hear about this all the time. People meeting on different Apps in different ways. They’re not all good people out there.

Smashing Interviews Magazine: What can you say about working with Lifetime?

Chrishell Stause: I think Lifetime has been an amazing partner in this whole movie process. I really loved working with them from the inception of me getting the script and going from there. It’s just been really exciting. They’re just so supportive, and obviously, they took a lot of care and effort into bringing this story to life but with justice to ensure that you’re not glorifying someone that shouldn’t be glorified. There are a lot of things where I feel like they took a lot of care. So I’m proud to work with Lifetime.

Smashing Interviews Magazine: You were reunited with a former All My Children castmate, Colin Egglesfield, who plays Randy Roth. How did it feel to reconnect with him?

Chrishell Stause: Yes. Colin and I worked together on All My Children for a few years, and we’ve been friends ever since. I knew he was going to kill this role because I’ve seen him playing multiple different characters whether they were good or bad guys. But I was just excited to be able to connect to an old friend and really kind of dig in and play. When we worked together on All My Children, our characters were friends, so I knew it would be really fun, someone I’ve known for so many years to play adversaries on such a dangerous playing field. I knew we would have a great time, and we did.

Smashing Interviews Magazine: Has anyone contacted you about the All My Children reboot?

Chrishell Stause: They did initially, but it kind of fell through. Everyone’s schedules are so crazy, I’m not sure where that had landed. But there are no talks so far with me right now. I think the project had some difficulties or something because it was going, and I don’t know what’s going on now. I have no idea.

Smashing Interviews Magazine: Selling Sunset has been renewed for seasons six and seven. Why is that show so popular and addictive?

Chrishell Stause: It’s very binge-worthy, whether they’re watching for the houses or the fashion or the drama and personal relationships. We just have it all in one big pot of craziness. Listen, if I wasn’t part of the show, I’d probably love watching it. It just gives me so much anxiety because it’s actually my life. But if I had no part in the show, I would definitely want to watch it (laughs).

Smashing Interviews Magazine: What prompted you to get your real estate license a few years ago?

Chrishell Stause: I was working on Days of Our Lives, and we got new writers, so they decided my character was going to move to New York. I’m a businesswoman. I’m always going to be hustling. So I was just trying to figure out what’s next for me. I don’t want to sit on my thumbs waiting for auditions to come through. I wanted to really be in charge of my own career. So I was really just trying to pivot and do something I could do at the same time as acting. So now, being here with you promoting this Lifetime movie is a full circle moment. I just got an 8.5-million-dollar listing. It’s just amazing what you can do if you don’t tie yourself down.

Smashing Interviews Magazine: How is your relationship with G Flip going?

Chrishell Stause: It’s going really well.

Smashing Interviews Magazine: Your childhood was certainly not ideal. Why did you decide to pursue acting as a career?

Chrishell Stause: Basically, growing up we just didn’t have a lot of means. My mom and my grandma would watch these soaps, and these were the most glamorous, beautiful women I’d ever seen, and I was the farthest thing from that you could be. I saw people in my life look up to them and idolize them, so I idolized them and wanted to be them. Of course, I wanted to get the farthest away from being this skinny little kid that was teased in school, just definitely the most unglamorous thing you could be. So I think it started in a superficial way, just wanting to live that glamorous life I saw. But then also I was just really getting a love of the craft and doing things that just creatively I’m able to do that are just so fun.

As deep and dark and serious as the subject matter is in A Rose for Her Grave, it was still so thrilling to creatively be able to play in these same spaces with somebody like Colin and people that you trust. So acting was my first love, and I hope I never have to give it up. But I want to do it all.

Smashing Interviews Magazine: You have four sisters, so were they interested in show business also?

Chrishell Stause: (laughs) No. In fact, I would want to direct them in my plays, and they would scream and cry and not want to do it. Mom just liked it because it would get all the kids out of her hair. So she’d make them have to do it. But they hated it. Even when they’ve been on Selling Sunset, which isn’t acting, I’ve had to beg them to do it. My sisters are the opposite.

Smashing Interviews Magazine: You recently made a cameo appearance on Days of Our Lives reprising your role as Jordan Ridgeway. Any plans to appear again?

Chrishell Stause: Unfortunately, not right now. But honestly, with Days of Our Lives, it just kind of pops up. I’ve done it a few times now since my character has been dead. I’ve popped up a few times since. But they know it’s such an open phone call. They can just call me up, and if I can work it out, I love doing it. I love everyone over there. I have so much fun. If it serves the storyline, they know to give me a call, and if I can make it work, I will.

Smashing Interviews Magazine: What do you think about some of the storylines in soaps such as bringing the dead back to life and devil possession?

Chrishell Stause: (laughs) Yeah. I think that’s one of the things I love so much about soaps. If you were making a bucket list for someone who wanted to be on soaps, I’d really be able to knock off such big bucket list things such as working with Susan Lucci and coming back from the dead. So thank you, Days of Our Lives! You have allowed me to knock another soap thing off my list.

Smashing Interviews Magazine: What can you say about season six of Selling Sunset?

Chrishell Stause: I know we’ll have a date for everyone soon. I know everyone’s excited about knowing when the season will air. We’ll have a date soon, and we’ll have two new seasons this year. I know it’s been a while since the show has dropped, but in 2023, you’ll get two new seasons. It’s going to be crazy, to be honest, and stressful for the ones in it.

Smashing Interviews Magazine: How can you prepare for the stress?

Chrishell Stause: Honestly, that’s the worst part! You can’t prepare for something like this. It’s unlike anything else. I love showing up for sets or movies or whatever and being prepared and really going into something and feeling protected and safe in knowing exactly what you’re going to do. With reality television, it is the opposite. If you’re prepared at all, it won’t work.

You have to actually not know what’s going to happen, and that’s where they have people so drawn in. They’re just constantly trying to give you anxiety and throw you into situations you’re not prepared for. It’s terrible. I don’t recommend it. But I love it. I’ve gotten so many amazing and different experiences out of it and friendships, so I have to try and just roll with the punches. But it keeps you on your toes, for sure.

Smashing Interviews Magazine: So it’s not scripted even a little bit?

Chrishell Stause: No. It’s not scripted. The difference is, in real life, if you were having an issue with someone, you just wouldn’t be around them. This is a situation in which they want to basically turn the heat up instead of like normally you want to turn the heat down from any confrontation. I don’t know whether that may be called produced or not, but it’s definitely not scripted. But you are put in a scenario to fail because they want to put you in these scenarios and turn the heat up, and you’re not able to just leave or ignore it the way you could in real life. You’re asked straight to camera how you feel about this, and you have to watch it with these people. It’s just a very unhealthy situation (laughs).

Smashing Interviews Magazine: I’m probably way too old for stress like that (laughs).

Chrishell Stause: Listen, if you want to take my spot, you let me know (laughs).

Smashing Interviews Magazine: (laughs) Did your family worry you might lose that southern accent after living in LA for a few years?

Chrishell Stause: Oh, yeah. My family thinks I’ve lost it, for sure. But it’s probably just someone who knows it and can pick up on it that would still hear it. I feel that for the most part, I don’t get that very often, but I do like if someone can hear it still. Obviously, to try and get jobs out here, I had to work so hard to lose it, and now, it’s one of those things that it’s nice when it creeps out. I think, “Oh, it must still be there,” when I’m at home with family.

Smashing Interviews Magazine: Do you visit Kentucky often to see family and friends?

Chrishell Stause: I don’t go too often, probably about once a year. But they don’t mind coming to LA because it’s warm and nice here. They like to come to my pool (laughs).

Smashing Interviews Magazine: From your rocky start growing up until current day, are you proud of what you’ve become and what you’ve accomplished, Chrishell?

Chrishell Stause: I am definitely proud. I think that I had really big dreams growing up, dreams that many times I got laughed at for. The fact that I just completely exceeded all of those is crazy to me. So at this point, I’m just trying to stay grateful for everything, keep pinching myself and reminding myself that this could all go away at any moment. So I’m just really enjoying the ride as it goes. Who knows? No one knows in this business what tomorrow will bring, so I’m just going to try and enjoy it as it goes.

Smashing Interviews Magazine: What else would you like to do?

Chrishell Stause: That’s the one thing about Selling Sunset that I’m so proud of. I’ve built my own business whether there’s a TV show or not. So I’ll always have my own successful real estate company. Aside from that, doing these movies with Lifetime and projects like that are things I’m really excited to do because it’s not the way people know me now. For me, this is how I started. I did soaps for 15 years, but so many people met me through Selling Sunset, so it’s nice for me to go backwards. I honestly think that if I can keep doing the same thing I’m doing now, I wouldn’t have a complaint in the world. I’m very happy.

Smashing Interviews Magazine: You seem very happy, which is great. Do you live every day with a positive attitude?

Chrishell Stause: My blood type is B positive, so I do think that it is actually in my blood (laughs).

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Marc Parker is an American journalist, author, artist, a photographer and a computer scientist. He is the founder/publisher/editor-in-chief of Smashing Interviews Magazine. Marc Parker's social media: Twitter Facebook

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