CALIfornia DREamin’

Sure, she’s a fan fave on the hit reality MTV show The Hills, but Audrina Patridge is as positively likeable off screen as she is on the small screen. Born and raised in Yorba Linda, California, the 23-year-old is a laidback California girl at heart—and full of surprises. (Hello, she’s a natural blonde and checks her MySpace fan page.) When not filming The Hills, Patridge is all about her family, acting career and staying drama free. You’ve got to love that.

You’re best known for being the gorgeous brunette on The Hills, yet in a picture of you as homecoming queen you have blonde hair. Were you bleaching your hair at the tender age of 15?
 
No! That’s my real color. I’ve been dying my hair and eyebrows darker since I was 18.
 
Growing up, what did you aspire to be?
 
As a little girl, I always played doctor and dress up, but I always knew I wanted to be on TV. In high school, I was interested in being a psychologist.
 
You just wrapped your first movie, Into the Blue 2. How did it go?
  
I loved it—there was a really good energy on the set and we filmed in Oahu, Hawaii, which couldn’t have been a better location.
 
Did you have to try out for a part on The Hills?
 
No. I was actually laying out at The Villas’ pool and the show’s producer, Adam Divello, came up to me and was like, ‘Hey, you have a great look. I’m a producer for an MTV show that’s like a younger version of Sex and the City. What’s your story?’”
 
So you weren’t friends with Heidi before the show stared filming?
 
I didn’t know anyone before we started filming. We were asked to avoid the pool before filming so that we wouldn’t meet each other beforehand.
 
What do you make of living your life in a fishbowl?
 
It’s funny, because people think they know everything about me, but they really don’t.
 
Did you ever fathom The Hills would be such a raging success?
 
When we started filming, I thought, ‘Ok, this will be fun and I’ll learn how to be more comfortable in front of the camera.’ But going into our fourth season now, I had no idea it would be this big. It’s crazy, people in other countries know who I am!
 
Is filming the show à la The Real World?
 
We don’t have cameras around us 24/7 and there is a filming schedule.
 
In the season three finale, you were contemplating moving out of Lauren’s guesthouse. What’s the deal?
 
As of right now, I’m still living back there.
 
For the record, is your ex-boyfriend’s name Justin, Bobby or Justin Bobby?
 
[Laughing] It’s Justin Brescia. The story is this: His family and close friends call him Bobby. And Lauren and Lo just made it into a joke and called him Justin Bobby.
 
Do you think you’ll be invited to Heidi and Spencer’s wedding?
 
Maybe—because I do talk to Heidi here and here.
 
When we left off, your relationship with Lauren was on the rocks. Is everything rosy now?
 
Yes, we talked and everything is fine. Every friendship has its ups and downs and it’s something that will hopefully bring us closer.
 
You ladies always look so good on the show. Does MTV provide a glam squad and stylists for you all?
 
No, we dress ourselves and do our own makeup and hair.
 
Are you enjoying the benefits of celebrity—do you get freebies?
 
Yes, I do. It’s a great perk because we film so much and go out so often that we try not to wear the same thing twice.
 
Swag aside, we know you still love shopping. What are some of your L.A. shopping haunts?
 
I love Diesel on Melrose, a vintage store called Popkiller on Sunset and Blue on La Brea.
 
Some of the girls on The Hills have developed a bad rep, but you still remain a fan favorite, how did you manage that feat?
 
I am really flattered. You know, even in high school I never played into the catty girl drama. I’ve always been one to sit back and stay neutral.
 
Is the show scripted?
 
I wouldn’t say it’s scripted, I will say it’s guided. We don’t have a script that we read and we don’t memorize any lines. We’re put in certain situations and what we do and say is reality.
 
All in all, what do you make of your newfound fame?
 
There are good things and bad things—they kind of balance each other out. People write and say mean things about me, but I have so many more opportunities. But I don’t have any privacy—it’s gone now.
 
Give us a sneak peek of season four.
 
It’s about friendships, working, fashion, parties and drama.
 
Rumors are rampant that Brody Jenner and Whitney Port are getting spin-offs. Are you, too?
 
I can’t say. I have more than a few things in the works so we’ll just have to wait and see.