Page 20 - Scottish Woman Issue 77 2021

Crafty editing has always been the name of the game with successful reality TV, and Selling Sunset does it as impeccably as the finishes on the multimillion-dollar mansions we get a sneak peek
of throughout the programme.
The Netflix show’s creator, Adam DiVello, producer of glamathon series The Hills, spotted Jason
and Brett – the twins that own The Oppenheim Group – and their not unattractive female employees, and saw the makings of a real estate docusoap for the ages.
Anyway, here we are having
just lapped up season four – with season five teased to drop in spring 2022 – and actually, such is our need for escapism at the moment in this tumultuous world, does it matter whether a conversation
has happened
organically or not?
What is authentic
is that everyone
that stars on the
show is a licensed
real estate agent
(there have been
accusations to the
contrary, which
The Oppenheim
Group has strongly
contested). Villela
has a background
in acting, where
she found success
starring in Mexican
and Colombian telenovelas. A pivot to real estate does seem like a bit of a dramatic twist, although several of the other realtors on the show have also acted in the past. Are there any learnings from being in soap operas that have been advantageous crossing over to property?
“Well, I’m not afraid of the cameras. I’m also very in touch with my emotions, because I’ve been acting since I was little, so I think I’m able to read people well and know what they want or how they’re feeling. Obviously that’s so important in real estate, to connect with people.”
Villela’s journey into real estate is one rooted in love, but also tragedy. She was encouraged to
pursue a different career by her sister Jackie, who was an estate agent in San Diego. Villela began studying for her real estate license, but in
late 2018, Jackie unexpectedly passed away after having an adverse reaction to medication. It’s
something Villela opens up about on her debut episode. As the
other girls ask questions about her background, she reveals it was her sister that led her to the profession, and the raw pain is apparent.
Baring her grief on screen has brought comfort to others, she says, who have felt compelled to message her about sharing her story.
“It wasn’t something I planned. It was weird because I never thought I would open up so fast. It was
just something that happened. Now more than ever, when so many people around the world are grieving, I do want to share more about that journey. I feel like it’s going to be very helpful for a lot of
people to know how I’ve dealt with things.
“I’m not someone that’s going to hide that I’ve been in pain. I was doing a live show the other day, and I told them openly, ‘I had a terrible day yesterday.’ It’s not always rainbows and smiles in anyone’s life, although I am normally a very happy person.”
Has it been cathartic for her to talk about her pain as well as helping other people?
“Yes, 100%. And I’m trying to see the positive side of something so negative. Honouring my sister’s life by doing real estate has been the opportunity of my life. My sister knew real estate would be ideal for me because helping people makes me happy, and finding people
their dream home or investment property is a way to do that. It’s been beautiful and I’m very lucky. I get emotional talking about it,” she says, choking up a little.
Villela admits she’s been overwhelmed recently with
what sounds like a pretty nasty bout of long Covid, hitting her so hard that she had to miss a significant portion of filming for season five. She suffered with debilitating dizziness, brain fog, intense headaches and parosmia (when odours become distorted, with some people reporting food smelling or tasting like sewage).
“I’ve been an actor since I was four years old, and I’ve never skipped a day of filming in my entire life; until I got Covid. The first 10 days were really bad, then
I would wake up feeling better, then an hour later it would be like: boom, it’s back. The first time I tried to go in and film for the show, I was there for two hours, and they had to put me in an Uber and send me home because I started to get dizzy while I was talking.
“It’s affected my body tremendously. My brain fog was so bad I was actually stuttering some of the time. But it won’t be forever. And I can’t stay in victim mode – I have to be positive. But some days I do break down and cry and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I just want
to feel normal again.” She credits
“I’ve never spoken about my love life before, but I’m madly in love”
20 SCOTTISH WOMAN MAGAZINE
Image: Tom Fraud
Image: Tom Fraud