'Entourage' star Constance Zimmer reveals she met her husband on a blind date, a full six years after their mutual friends had first tried to set them up.
Constance, who stars in brand new comedy ‘UnREAL’ that delves behind the scenes on a reality TV dating show, tells HuffPostUK how she had no interest in meeting anyone ever again following her divorce, and was in no rush, despite her friends’ attempts.
She says: “They said, ‘you have to meet now, finally’, so we met it was, bang, sorted. But I don’t regret the wait. We definitely wouldn’t have lasted if we’d met any earlier.”
'UnREAL' goes behind the scenes of a reality TV dating show
Despite her own contentment, Constance, who also stars as long-suffering film executive Dana Gordon in ‘Entourage’ TV show and now film, admits she feels lucky she’s never had to venture into the world of online dating or TV match-making.
“These contestants feel like they’ve tried everything,” she says, bemused. “The availability of people is so vast, and yet you have all that, and still you don’t meet that person… but it’s a crazy world. People have found their special someone on Craigslist.”
In preparation for the show, which has gone down well with critics in the US and makes its debut on Lifetime Channel tonight in the UK, Constance found herself watching a load of reality dating shows, and feeling very shocked.
“I just couldn’t believe they were real, they felt so manipulated,” she reports.
Constance Zimmer as Dana Gordon holds her own with super agent Ari Emanuel ( Jeremy Piven)
With ‘UnREAL’, ‘Entourage’ AND her role on ‘House of Cards’, Constance is enjoying giving viewers a glimpse of life behind the curtain of what we enjoy on TV.
“We’re fascinated by worlds that we’re not a part of,” she says. “But I can also testify that everyone in Hollywood is equally fascinated by Entourage, they love seeing how their world is represented.
“Similarly, in Washington, it’s hilarious how excited the politicians and reporters are when we come to town. They say we’re making them cool, putting them on a TV show.”
Constance Zimmer with Kate Mara in 'House of Cards', which she says delights Washington's real inhabitants
In these high-profile roles, the constant is Constance’s ability not to hide her innate strength, something she remains aware of…
“I don’t pretend to be something I’m not,” she affirms. “It’s about being confident in who you are, not allowing the world you’re in to change you.
She laughs. “Which is actually the complete opposite of what is happening in the world within ‘UnREAL’, where we’re busy convincing women to be something they’re not. But I think viewers are savvy enough to get the joke.”
She pauses. “I’m actually not that in real life. I was put in a box, early in my career, became the go-to girl that could play very sarcastic powerful women,” she remembers.
“I tried to fight it for a while, but I eventually thought, it’s not a bad thing to be. As long as people want to keep writing these strong characters, I’m happy to keep playing them.”
UnREAL, which dishes up a fictitious behind-the-scenes glimpse into the chaotic world of a reality TV dating show, continues tonight on Lifetime® on 7th July. Watch the trailer below...