Rulla Nehme Pontarelli is opening up about her early drama on The Real Housewives of Rhode Island, and why she believes this cast stands apart from the rest.
Speaking about the new Bravo franchise to Wonderwall.com, Rulla emphasized that the Rhode Island group brings something different to the table.
“Most of us are a little bit more authentic. It’s not necessarily about pretenses here. It’s not necessarily about facades. I’m very real. What you see is truly how it is on a day-to-day basis.”
She also pointed to the tight-knit nature of the state as a major factor in the show’s dynamic.
“We’re also more connected. There’s a lot of longevity in the state, generations of families. It’s so small that we all know one another or know people who know this person and that person and one another. Word gets around really quickly, regardless of what it might be.”
That closeness, however, can come with its downsides — something Rulla is already experiencing after a tense moment with Liz McGraw early in the season.
“I have felt a little hot and cold from Liz sometimes,” she admitted. “She is a little difficult to decipher. I’d love to be on great terms with her. I really like Liz.”
Rulla addressed the now-discussed exchange about biological children versus stepchildren, insisting her words were misunderstood.
“I feel like those words, which were not meant that way, were completely taken out of context. I don’t undermine anyone who’s a mother. It was not meant that way. It was sort of a heat-of-the-moment comment.”
Still, she acknowledged the backlash has been difficult.
“Seeing how everyone has run with it has been so hurtful to me because I’m not the type to say things to offend people like that. I didn’t expect her to take it that way.”
Looking ahead, Rulla is already eyeing the reunion as a chance to clear things up — and possibly confront a few people along the way.
“I know the reunion will allow me to expand on things more that I didn’t get to expand on during filming… I want the opportunity to explain how things really are and what really happened and dive a little bit deeper.”
And if that means calling people out, she’s ready.
“If I have to call somebody out, I’ll call that somebody out, only because I do tell the truth. I don’t like to be accused of hiding something, or protecting something, or not shooting straight.”
With tensions already brewing and more episodes to come, it sounds like Rulla is just getting started.