Sell sunset star Chrisshell Stause uncovered it all in the fifth season of the Netflix reality series, which follows a group of Oppenheim Group real estate agents who sell multimillion-dollar homes in Los Angeles. Audiences around the world (the show was in Netflix’s top 10 in 48 countries after its April debut) watched as Stause dated — and heartbreakingly broke up with — her co-star and boss Jason Oppenheim because their plans for don’t align a family.
“I definitely shared and went through the wringer that I just had to bring it out because it would be there anyway,” Stause tells me. THR. “It does feel nice to find balance in times that can be really hard, to be vulnerable and share things like this.”
After the show received its second Emmy nomination, the reality star spoke to THR about what the TV Academy recognition means to her, what it’s like to revisit her vulnerable moments months after they happened, and where she hopes Sell sunset will go on in the coming seasons.
How did you hear about your nomination?
I woke up to all these text messages. That means either something really bad has happened or something really good has happened. It was about 57 messages, because we are in a group chain. I opened it and then realized, “Oh, okay, great! We’re nominated for an Emmy!”
It is the second time the show has been nominated. Does this year feel different for you, given how vulnerable you were during the season?
It’s always special because you never know, as the show follows our lives, what will strike a chord with people, what people will connect with, what people will hate you for. It’s just always such a mess. Of course, it feels really nice that the show is being recognized… because, as we all know, that’s not always the case with reality television. It’s a real honor.
How does it feel to see things five or six months after they happened, especially these personal moments you’ve shared with the public this season?
It’s unlike any other job in the world. It comes with extreme highs and lows, because when you live these moments, you normally can’t look back and relive them. It’s so exciting to be able to share that with people, but there’s also a downside. There is something that you feel you have grown stronger and can move on, but then you have to relive it, share it and hear people’s criticism about it. You just have to take the good with the bad. It is not for everyone and you really learn to sink or swim. Luckily I learned to swim. Sharing your life the way we do it, trying to get into it, understanding that even in the hard times it sucks to have to live that again. In the case of this last season, I had a lot of confidence. There was just so much respect between them [Jason Oppenheim and me] that it would make it easier than what I had experienced in the past, feeling weak. It’s a very strange profession.
What drew you to the show in the first place?
I was very naive in the beginning. I really thought we were doing a show based on real estate. I didn’t think there could be anything wrong because I thought even if I look bad in real estate this is admittedly a new venture for me so I’ll have to learn along the way and I’m not always it’ll be okay so that is okay. I didn’t know the personal aspect and the work dynamics, [that] this is what the show would really evolve into. It was like baptism by fire. But now that I’ve come to the other side, I’m grateful for the opportunity. So many incredible things have come my way through this experience, and of course it’s great for business, and that’s something that’s always been very important to me: to build a business that I’m proud of, that I no matter if the show is a success or not.
Thanks to Netflix
What is the most important thing you learned from this experience?
It’s important to put everything in perspective. Keep your circle around you. Enjoy all things, but don’t let them change you. You can change for the better as long as you don’t let your day be disturbed by stupid little criticisms or comments. As for what’s important in life, you can’t let all this go to your head or get screwed.
There is so much reality TV – why do you think? Sell sunset resonates with viewers and Emmy voters?
There are things that people like visually with the houses and the way the cinematography is done so beautifully, like a movie, that sets it apart from some of the reality shows that are a bit more “grab the content and get it out with faster turnaround.” .” We have a slower turnaround time, but it’s also so visually stunning, that’s why it takes a little longer, and then you have that personal aspect, whether it’s the dynamics of the different agents, [or] whether it be our personal life.
What was a challenge for you in season five?
My personal relationship with Jason. Of course, that’s not the easiest speed bump. You have the dynamism of everyone in the office, and he’s in charge. It just gets a lot. And then, of course, as we all know, we break up and work through that, which is really hard to strike that balance of wanting to be faithful to what’s really going on. It’s really hard to share such intimate things sometimes. It’s very weird to have these moments and yet you have cameras there. Sure, they try to hide and be as inconspicuous as possible, but it’s just one of those things that can make you nervous, especially when emotions are running high. You don’t always remember exactly what you said, so it also adds a certain amount of fear until you see it yourself, which we don’t see until the week before [an episode] is from. I don’t foresee myself doing this for long, but I think as long as you enjoy it, that’s the key. At the moment I still enjoy it, and I really like the people I work with.
What do you hope to see in the coming seasons?
I like it when we lean more into real estate. I find it fascinating. There’s a lot of really exciting stuff going on in the market, be it good or bad, and it’s all very interesting to watch. Crazy things are happening behind the scenes of some of these trades.
Interview edited for length and clarity.
This story first appeared in the July 27 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.