Variety’s editor-in-chief has revealed how that controversial Kim Kardashian and Chloë Sevigny interview and cover actually came about, admitting that the reality star would be paired with another actor who “called in sick” at the last minute.
Earlier this month, the SKIMS founder, 43, and the American Psycho alum, 49, teamed up to grace the cover of Variety’s Actors on Actors issue — but the interview and photoshoot were heavily criticized online.
Internet users were both outraged and dismayed to learn that Kim – who has only had one lead role – was paired with Academy Award-nominated actress Chloe as part of the publication’s elite series.
Now Variety Editor-in-Chief Ramin Setoodeh has addressed the criticism during a conversation with Meghan McCain for an upcoming episode of her podcast, Citizen McCain.
The mogul insisted that Chloe was just grateful to be there with Kim, as she wasn’t originally supposed to be part of the shoot.
Variety’s editor-in-chief has revealed how that controversial interview and cover of Kim Kardashian and Chloë Sevigny really came about
Ramin Setoodeh said the reality star would be paired with another actor who “called in sick” at the last minute while chatting with Meghan McCain for an upcoming podcast episode
He said the Zodiac star “graciously intervened” after an unnamed actor “called in sick” just two days before filming was due to take place.
‘I’m going to give you some information. “I’m going to break some news: Chloe Sevigny wasn’t supposed to work with Kim Kardashian,” he said during the podcast, which airs Friday at 6 a.m. EST.
“Kim Kardashian had someone else to pair up with and that actor called in sick on Friday night, and Kim was supposed to do this on Sunday.”
He said they turned to Chloe because she had been in the “Ryan Murphy universe,” as had Kim, who starred in the most recent season of his show, American Horror Story; Chloe starred in Ryan’s series Feud: Capote vs. the Swans.
“Chloe was incredibly gracious, stepping in at the last minute and getting into this conversation with Kim,” he continued. “But that wasn’t her original acting partner.”
As for who would take part in the shoot with Kim, he declined to reveal any names because he “didn’t want to draw unnecessary attention to the person.”
“But people can guess,” he added. “And maybe on social media, if someone guesses right, I’ll put a little heart on it [post].’
After the outlet unveiled the cover, some people wondered if Chloe was throwing a subtle shade at Kim when she reposted the announcement on her Instagram Stories and captioned it, “Always fun to be around.” Thanks @Variety.’
Kim and Chloe’s interview and cover were heavily criticized as people were outraged to learn that Kim was linked to Academy Award-nominated actress Chloe.
The mogul insisted to Meghan that Chloe was just grateful to be there as she wasn’t originally supposed to be part of the shoot, adding: ‘She was so happy to be there’
As for the rumors, Ramin emphasized that there was no tension between the two women on set.
“What was so funny about the whole press, everyone was talking about how Chloe was trying to upstage Kim, [but] she wasn’t,” he said.
“She said she was so happy to be there.
“Chloe was very excited to talk to Kim. Just before she moved on, I was in the greenroom with her and they really liked each other.”
After the magazine hit the spotlight, social media was in an uproar, with some people labeling the cover as “an insult to trained, hard-working actors” like Chloe and a “disrespect for the craft.”
Ramin theorized that the backlash stemmed from people “not liking” that Kim had joined the acting world.
He said the Zodiac star “graciously intervened” after the unnamed actor “called in sick” just two days before filming was due to take place. He was seen with Meghan for the podcast
After the magazine hit the spotlight, social media was in an uproar, with some people labeling the cover as “an insult to trained, hard-working actors” like Chloe and a “disrespect for the craft.”
Kim has only had one starring role in the most recent season of Ryan Murphy’s American Horror Story (seen)
“I think people have strong feelings about Kim Kardashian and they don’t like her acting even though she was a star on her own show on FX, American Horror Story,” he concluded.
Kim and Chloe joined established theater makers such as Jodie Foster, Robert Downey Jr., Naomi Watts, Quinta Brunson, Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, Jon Hamm and Andrew Scott for the series.
Before American Horror Story, Kim had been acting for over a decade, but most of her previous roles were so fast-paced that you might miss them if you blink.
Her previous acting credits include PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie, PAW Patrol: The Movie, Tyler Perry’s Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor, Drop Dead Diva, CSI: NY, Deep in the Valley, Beyond the Break and Disaster Movie.
She’s currently gearing up to play LA’s “most successful divorce attorney” who heads “an all-female law firm” in a new legal drama written by Brothers & Sisters creator Jon Robin Baitz, in a new Hulu script.
As for Chloe, she has had a successful career that spans decades.