Interview with The Real World: Portland’s Anastasia Miller
22 year old, Anastasia Miller, or Bird as many refer to her as, can be classified as the dorky roommate on this season of MTV’s Real World. But, her dorkiness is just one of the reasons why we adore her! She isn’t afraid to make fun of herself, and she stands up for her roommates when no one else will. Read our interview with Anastasia below. We discuss Jordan, Nia, what it’s really like having a BF while living in the RW house, and her soon to be released EP! Be sure to follow Anastasia on Twitter, and don’t forget to tune into MTV tonight at 10/9c for a new episode of ‘The Real World: Portland’.
Everyone has their own reasons for auditioning for ‘The Real World’, so what was yours?
“I attempted to move out to Los Angeles, and things didn’t work out so I had to move back to Michigan. The day after I moved back to Michigan, my grandmother gave me a paper clipping that said “tryouts for ‘The Real World’ are happening”. I had nothing else going on in my life, so I decided to give it ago. I wasn’t that girl who had a strong desire to join ‘The Real World’. I just took a chance, one strange random day, and it ended up working out for me.”
What has been your favorite and least favorite thing about the RW experience?
“My favorite thing has been my growth as a person. I learned a lot about myself from the whole RW experience. I also learned a lot about human nature. It was definitely an interesting experience, as far as that goes. I also made some friends for life, which I think is pretty awesome! My least favorite part is watching everything now. I’m not necessarily the same person I was a year ago when we filmed in Portland, so, that’s hard. It’s hard to see all the different sides of myself, especially the ones I’m not proud of, in HD [laughs].”
Speaking of seeing yourself on TV, what was your reaction to seeing the trailers when MTV first released them?
“They actually didn’t show me too much in the trailers. I was surprised! I thought the trailers were put together well, and I thought they accurately depicted what happens during the season. The trailers made me excited!”
Last week’s episode was a major turning point for you and Jordan. Were you guys actually closer than editing made it seem? Or had you just had enough of Nia?
“Yes! There are a lot of relationships in the house that are closer than it seems on TV. That’s a pretty big shame to me, because Jordan and I actually had an okay relationship at this point. We weren’t BFFs or anything, but we’d made up since the pilot drama. They didn’t show that, but we were definitely on better terms than it seemed. We weren’t on personal terms though, so when I asked him to go get lunch, he looked very taken aback and shocked. He opened up to me at lunch, and that was so wonderful. People on reality TV can get really wrapped up in themselves, and their own motives that they forget they’re other people who have issues. Other people sometimes need support and need to talk. It was cool having that moment with Jordan. Our relationship grew after that episode.”
We know that you were the only roommate who came into the house with a relationship, and they don’t actually show you and your boyfriend talking too much. How difficult was it to maintain a relationship while living in the RW house?
“It was really weird to me that didn’t show us talking a lot. It was difficult mainly because my BF and I had had problems prior to me living in the RW house. It was sort of like being dropped on a new planet, and trying to maintain a relationship with the old planet that you originally came from [laughs]. I wouldn’t advise going into a RW house while in a relationship. I’m not saying it can’t work, but I am saying that the RW experience is meant for single people. You want to be able to focus on yourself while living in the RW house. Many people want to party, hook up, etc. But, I think the real point of the RW experience is to learn new things about yourself, and you can’t do that if you spend the majority of your time dealing with/fighting with someone back home. I spent my whole first month or so arguing on the phone with my BF, which is why I was surprised they edited that out. A lot of the earlier shots of me make me look really tired, and it’s because I’d spent all that time arguing on the phone.”
Did you wish Joi was still your roommate instead of Nia?
“I’m glad I got to met Nia. I think Joi was wonderful, and I wouldn’t have had an issue with her if she stayed, but I’m glad Nia joined us. I think sometimes in order for people to become super close there has to be conflict. Even though Nia separated parts of the house, she also in strange way brought a lot of us closer together.”
In relation to the shows, when did you guys film the After Shows? What was that experience like?
“We filmed the After Shows three to four weeks ago. I think that experience was just like living in the house. I mean, it was nice to have a platform to say something, but at the same time I’m trying to talk over Jordan and Nia, which never goes well [laughs]. While living in the house, I felt like I had some really sound advice, that I could never vocalize, because Nia and Jordan wouldn’t listen to me. They’re both very irrational, stubborn people. I don’t think that anyones opinions of people in the house or what happened has changed too much. So the After Shows were fun, but very similar to the house, so that made them a bit frustrating for me.”
You mentioned that books helped you stay sane while in the house. Who is your favorite author? What is the last book you read?
“I don’t think I could pick a favorite author. One of my favorite books is “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho. The last book I read was the sequel to “A Discovery of Witches” by Deborah Harkness, and that was called “Shadow of Night”. When I was reading “A Discovery of Witches” in the house I felt really nerdy and thought nobody else would like it, but it turns out that Jordan had a thing for my novel! There were a bunch of times I’d find him asleep with my novel next to him! He kept stealing it to read it all the time [laughs]. That was pretty cute. I made fun of him for liking witches and vampires!”
Prior to becoming a RW cast member, had you watched any previous seasons?
“I saw a couple growing up. I remember Wes and Danny’s season: ‘The Real World: Austin’. I really wasn’t an avid watcher of the show though.”
Did having Daisy make you wish you could have brought your dog into the house as well?
“Yes, it did! I think we all missed our pets, and wanted to go pet shopping at some point! My dog is an eighty-pound golden doodle, so he would have been more chaotic than Daisy.”
Did you have a favorite day in the house? Or episode that aired/will air?
“They didn’t show too much of it, but my favorite day in the house was Day 2. The first day everyone was nervous, jittery and excited. But, the second day was when it hit us all that we were actually on the RW, which was pretty cool! It’s the coolest thing I’ve ever done! We all went out and bonded. It was pretty much the only day that all seven of us were stuck at the hip, and all one tight group. We were a team of seven! It was before everyone started having alliances, and sides. It was a really nice day and moment in time. It was an out-of-body moment. We all felt really grateful and lucky on Day 2.”
Since you mentioned teams and alliances, we know other Portland Real Worlder’s would love to compete in a Challenge. What about you?
“I absolutely would love to! I know I would be super clumsy, but I would try my hardest [laughs]!”
What are you doing now that RW’s finished filming? Has your life changed at all? Did RW open any doors for you?
“I’m actually releasing an EP on iTunes. Yes, I sing! While we were filming RW I met a music producer in Portland. Marlon and I actually both decided to pursue music. We even collaborated together. During the past few months I’ve been working on my EP. Marlon actually raps on two of my songs. That should be interesting [laughs]! I’m also planning on going back to school for Journalism, so we’ll see if RW helps me with that.”
What genre is your EP?
“I tried to make really fun music, something that a lot of younger people could and would want to listen to. I’d classify it as R&B/Hip Hop/Top 40. It’s not typically the type of music I’d usually make, but I thought it’d pair well with RW.”