Former ‘DWTS’ Pro Kym Johnson-Herjavec Appreciates the ‘Girl Power’ Friendships of Lifetime’s ‘Hunting Housewives’ [Exclusive]
Former Dancing with the Stars pro Kym Johnson-Herjavec is starring in her first Lifetime film. Hunting Housewives pairs the dancer with Denise Richards and NeNe Leakes from the Real Housewives franchise, and podcast host Melyssa Ford. In an exclusive interview with Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Johnson-Herjavec shared details of the film she calls a mash-up of Real Housewives and Survivor, with a bit of “girl power” thrown in.
‘Hunting Housewives’ looks to be a fabulous film. Can you tell us how your role in the Lifetime movie came to be?
I moved to Canada with my husband [Robert Herjavec] about four years ago and started to dip my toe into acting. I think producers saw footage of me on YouTube doing Celebrity Survivor out in the elements, but I wasn’t very good at it and voted myself off. But that’s probably how I ended up getting this role, as I wasn’t so comfortable in the woods.
However, I’ve really enjoyed pivoting into a different creative role now into acting. Especially working with Denise Richards and NeNe Leakes. I’ve worked with them on Dancing with the Stars, so it was nice to join them again. I was now in their world where they were in my ballroom world on DWTS.
What can you tell our readers about ‘Hunting Housewives’?
Hunting Housewives is such a fun movie. It’s Survivor meets The Real Housewives. It’s an ultimate girls’ trip that didn’t go as planned and doesn’t quite turn out to be what us girls were thinking.
The chemistry we all have is really great. We were out in the woods in the elements. There were long days, and we just had a ball together. We had so much fun, and you can see that.
What was your most memorable experience while filming?
Just catching up with Denise and getting to know Melyssa and Nene. It was so much fun watching them work as well. They are so natural, especially Denise; she’s such a great actor.
I remember watching Denise and being so taken in by her performance that I almost forgot my lines. There were tears in my eyes because she’s so good.
I learned a lot from them. You know, I’m a dancer and I’m used to being very rehearsed. I was so prepared, I knew everybody’s lines! But I learned how to react to how, say, Denise or Melyssa, as we were playing a scene.
The trailer for ‘Hunting Housewives’ looks hilarious.
It’s basically watching some great girlfriends heading out on what they think is a wonderful retreat. It’s a girls’ weekend that turns upside down. People that like Survivor and The Housewives are going to love this.
It’s a really fun watch all the girl power elements of the film as well. So it’s got everything in there.
What drew you to the role?
I love the character I play. She’s a bit of a princess and doesn’t like the outdoors. But she’s a great girlfriend and has substance. Her relationship with the other girls was interesting.
It was just fun to throw myself into something else. I’ve missed being creative since having my babies [Hudson and Haven]. Now that the kids are older, I’m excited to throw myself into something different.
You returned to ‘Dancing with the Stars’ in season 32 for a moving tribute to late judge, Len Goodman.
It was such a beautiful number. It was nice to be back in the ballroom, especially with the OG’s I worked with for many years.
The show is so special, especially back in the good old days when it first started. We initially had no idea what we were a part of, and Dancing with the Stars is a show that continues, and everybody loves it.
Hunting Housewives debuts on Lifetime on Saturday, March 9, at 8 p.m. EST.
