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Wednesday, Nov 25, 2009
"Project Runway" winner Jay McCarroll talks about fame whores, the spoils of his victory and the challenges of designing clothes that aren't intended for some rich guy's wife.
Dec 7, 2005 | Every now and then, a real character emerges from a reality show -- not for being outrageously evil like Omarosa of "The Apprentice" or Johnny Fairplay of "Survivor," but just for being himself. From his whimsical knit caps to his dishy cigarette breaks, not only was Jay McCarroll the frank, funny, sometimes bitchy voice of reason on the first season of "Project Runway," but he also walked away the winner and was awarded $100,000 to start a new fashion line. With the second season premiering on Bravo (8 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 7), we checked in with McCarroll in New York to see if all his dreams had come true since his "Project Runway" victory.
I just caught up with the first season of "Project Runway," so finally I know what everyone is talking about.
Yeah, it was good. I watched it, too, this weekend.
What was it like watching it for the second time?
I've seen it like a hundred times. I'm kind of addicted to myself as a character. I'm the leader of my own fan club. It's good. You know, it's been a really tumultuous year, so it was really nice to see it this past weekend and kind of get back to the purity of it, because at the time going there and filming this thing, it was really innocent, and I was a nobody. I pretty much still am a nobody. But it was just really nice to see what the whole thing was about, and to see how motivating it was, and how stressful it was. Now I know all the intricacies of business, and how network executives work, and it's really kind of gross. So I'd rather be anonymous.
How did you learn more about the TV business?
From working on "Project Jay," which is coming out in February [on Bravo], and being filmed for an entire summer. Because on "Project Runway" we were blind to it. We'd just watch it on TV. I didn't have advance screenings or anything; I saw it when everyone else saw it. It's fun to see how it got edited. But doing my own show, I had to be more involved because my name is attached to it, and just the hemming and hawing and back and forth about how everything works is kind of bizarre to me. I just figure people film it and someone edits it and they put it on TV, but there's a lot more to a TV show than that.
What's "Project Jay" about?
Just a recap from winning ["Project Runway"], and what my life has been after that, as far as looking for apartments in New York, looking for a studio space, trying to get licensing deals, fans interrupting me in the middle of my day, the Emmy dress that didn't pan out -- the drama on that one, God. You have to watch it; it's pretty disgusting.
Whose Emmy dress were you doing?
Heidi Klum's.
Oh my god!
It had all the best intentions, but it didn't turn out so beautifully. You'll see. It really is a roller coaster to watch. It's like watching a full hour of me, the funny parts, but then on the flipside, the traumas that go along with being me, and my self-deprecating ways, and all that really sad stuff. And you meet my family a little bit more, and you meet my friends.
When you watch it, do you get tired of yourself?
I was just having this conversation with someone last night. I've learned to just treat myself as a TV character. I mean it's me being me, but what you have internally inside of you is something different than how you're being edited. I mean, we shot 200 hours of footage for an hourlong show. It's interesting to see how a storyline is being built out of my existence.
Do you play to the cameras more than you used to?
Oh, I don't play to the cameras. I'm just that person.
So you don't think you're more on when the cameras are on you?
No. Mm-mm. Hell, no.
Were the cameras ever off?
No. We had cameras pointed at our beds.
