When people think of Kelly Osbourne, the words shy and insecure would probably not be in the first, oh, million which pop into their heads. But in her first dramatic acting role, as Deborah on ABCs new teen drama Life As We Know It (Thursdays on ABC), the outspoken reality star is just that. We recently chatted with Osbourne about her new series, losing weight, and being in the L.A. gay pride parade.
I hear you were a bit of an activist at gay pride in Los Angeles this year.
I was on the Trevor Projects float in the parade, and when we came across the protesters, I flipped them off. It made me really mad because if theyre such Christians, theyd read the Bible, which says that every sin is equal no matter how bad. If to them being gay is bad, those are the kind of people who probably go home and beat their wives. So they should just fuck off. It bugs me so much. If I was a lesbian, who cares! Or if my brother was gay, who cares! I dont understand why its anyones business.
Have you always had gay people around you?
Yeah. My cousin is gay. My best friend in the whole world is gayhe was on the float with me. And if theres a separation between church and state, I dont understand why gays cant marry. Its the most ridiculous thing in the world.
For people who expect you to be yourself on Life As We Know It, theyre going to be surprised. Normally people who have been featured on reality shows dont make such a smooth transition.
Most people on reality shows try to hold on to their fame and dont do it for the right reasons. I did the show because I thought it would be fun, and if it went shit, who cares?
Are you having fun?
I am. I love everyone I work with. When someone says something shitty about me [in the press], they stick up for me. Theyre all so great.
Were you able to relate to the character?
You know what it is? The character is me with a little bit less fashion sense and doesnt have the bad mouth.
Any chance that youll sing on the show?
Probably not. We made a decision that thats Deborah and Im Kelly and we shouldnt mix the two.
How did your life change doing The Osbournes?
People assume they know me. People know about me, but they dont know me. Its a little uncomfortable sometimes. I have very strict boundaries about how far Ill let people go with me. But it comes with the territory. If I make a list of all the bad shit and all the great shit that has happened to me, theres been a lot more great shit. But Im probably going to be a Where Are They Now in 20 years.
Youre looking very fabulous. Are you putting effort toward it?
No! And I dont understand! I think because I stopped doing drugs, I lost all the weight. Im one of those people who retain water. So I started peeing and shitting a lot more.
