Meet the new and local face of RHOA
‘Real Housewives’ debuts Chicago-area native Drew Sidora
Actress Drew Sidora is known for her performances in the Disney Channel series “That’s So Raven,” the VH1 biopic “CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story” and the dance film “StepUp.”
The Olympia Fields native plays the role of wife, mother and actress in a pandemic on the new season of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta,” which is scheduled to premiere at 7 p.m. Sunday on the Bravo network.
Viewers meet Sidora, 37, on Season 13’s second episode, which is set to air Dec. 13. The Rich Central High School graduate, who is married to business executive Ralph Pittman, is raising three children. She has the unenviable task of joining the cast of a long-running TV show that has become the flagship of “The Real Housewives” brand, thanks to notable personalities such as NeNe Leakes (who is not slated to return for Season 13) and Kenya Moore (who is back).
Sidora’s drama seems to center around her husband’s mysterious three- day disappearance. Her mother also lives in their home.
She said her father is battling Alzheimer’s disease in an Illinois nursing home. Sidora chatted with the Tribune about her time on “The Real Housewives” in a recent phone interview. The following transcript has been edited for clarity and condensed for space.
Q. What made you decide to sign up for the “Housewives?”
A. It was just one of those things. I was approached back in 2015 to join the show. I was pregnant with my now-5-yearold, and while I was in Chicago visiting family, my water broke. I was only 28 weeks, so I was actually transferred and admitted into Rush (hospital). I was there for like five weeks, ordered to bed rest and delivered Machai, 4 pounds, 4 ounces, at 32 weeks. So we kind of just stayed there, and I was like, now’s not the right time.
It just wasn’t good timing, so when they came back around, we were just moving to Atlanta. I got a chance to hang out with (former cast member) Eva Marcille and (cast member) Cynthia (Bailey) at her wine cellar opening (last year). And that’s when it was like, all right, this is awesome. And so this year, here we are. So, itwas kind of God. It was like, all right, three times. Three-time charm. This was the third time, and it just felt really like perfect timing.
After everything we’ve gone through this year for 2020, it was just like, why not? Why not open myself to let people get to know the real me that I usually can’t show in any movie or TV show I would ever do? This is going to be just raw and really just introduce theworld to who I amas a person.
Q. Besides Eva and Cynthia, did you know any of the other cast members before joining the show?
A. I knew Porsha (Williams). I had done an interview on Dish, so I got a chance to hang out with her. She’s my neighbor, so she literally lives six minutes away from me. Thatwas awesome. Also Shamea (Morton), who’s a friend on the show, she was in the TLC biopic, so I had met her a few years back when we filmed that movie.
Q. Was it difficult to join a show with 12 seasons of history?
A. It’s an amazing show. I know I watched the show over the course of the years. Before we started filming, I went back to Season 1 and just really got more familiar with everything. I think it’s just awesome to see what the ladies have been able to do as far as their businesses are concerned and just really showcasing how as women we can get along. We can have fun. I’m sure you have girlfriends. You know sometimes everything’s not perfect, and you have to have those tough conversations or disagreements, or whatever. Iwas just excited to meet the ladies. Obviously everyone’s been super awesome and just very inviting toward me. Not that everything’s perfect— but most of them are just really enjoyable, and (I’m) just getting to know each and every one of them.
Q. When did you become a fan of “The Real House wives of Atlanta?”
A. I would definitely say my family, they’ve been super fans, so just watching it with them. I absolutely love NeNe and wishing her well. She opened the door to this franchise, and I thought she was amazing on the show. Very, very entertaining. For me, it was just about showing myself. I’ve had three surgeries on my Achilles, and my dad has Alzheimer’s, and just what I go through. I feel like just being able to share that and open my home, hopefully to inspire somebody and just to show as an actor, this is also my life. It’s not always glitz and glamour and just show that journey of an actor that you wouldn’t get to see on any film or television showthat I’ve done.
Q. A (Bravo) news release mentions some marital troubles. Can you give us some more details of what the viewers will see this season?
A. Oh, Lord. They’re going to see just us. Just the Pittmans. Obviously, my husband left for three days. I did not know where hewas. Thatwas just a thing that I thought we would never be showing to 30 million viewers, but it happened. You’re going to just see us really trying to figure this marriage thing out for the sake of our family and for what we came together and for the love that we do share. We’re just really trying to be better. We’re in counseling, so you’ll be able to see that journey as it plays out. We’re just really working hard to save our marriage.
Q. You know that being on the show is usually a marriage killer, though? There’s kind of a curse that happens to couples when they go on “The Real Housewives.”
A. I refute that though because my mom is a pastor, and we do a lot of praying in our house. I don’t think the show could make or break your marriage. I think it just would probably bring things to the forefront that you may try to ignore. And so I feel like if the marriage is supposed to work, it’s going to work whether you’re on this show or not. I really feel like for us, it’s been very instrumental in helping. I’ve had to have really tough conversations and really be vulnerable, and I think, honestly, it’s brought us closer because we’re doing the work. We’re committed to our counseling sessions. We’re committed to doing our homework and really staying together, and that’s just a decision that we’ve made. Of course we’re not going to let anything come between that, but I think being able to show that to the world — marriage is not easy; divorce is not the first thing you have to do — that’s what really (we) are most excited to share.
Q. And howmuch will we see of your three children this season?
A. Oh, they’re all over the place! It’s a pandemic. They’re in virtual schools. They’re in the house, literally, all the time, and so you’ll see them. We don’t have a nanny. We’re just getting settled, and we’re like schoolteachers. We’re everything. They have been a very intricate part of what you will see this season for sure.
Q. “The Real Housewives” is known for escapism, but the new season begins with the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement. Howdo you
feel about the shift in tone this season?
A. It’s going to be powerful because Black Lives Matter, that’s a big deal. And it’s something that we definitely need to keep the conversation going in, so that we can continue to do what’s right and fight for equal justice and equality and better gun laws, gun reform. And now we have a new president! I think all of that is really what we’re going through, so it’s very real. It’s very raw. I think it’s great that Bravo decided to showcase that because the world needs to see that.
Q. Now that you’re on the show, what was one thing that surprised you since you’ve been behind the scenes?
A. I was very shocked. I’m like, oh, cameras are here. I’m used to takes, multiple takes, and a director, and all of those things. And this is way different. I’m definitely able to say this is a challenge for me. This is something new, but it’s definitely exciting. What you see is what you get. It is very raw. We did not plan this stuff. It just is what it is, so that was definitely just different from what I’m used to.
Q. What other TV and film projects do you have coming up?
A. Right now I’m on “Influence,” which is an adaptation of Carl Weber’s New York Times bestselling book “Influence.” It’s streaming right now on BET and BET Plus. It stars Deborah Cox, ohmigod, so many amazing people. Kellita Smith. Amazing cast. Columbus Short. That project I’m really, really, really excited about. I also am directing my first film next year. We’re in preproduction for that right now.