How Broadway Led Ariana Madix to VANDERPUMP RULES

Before bartending at SUR on Vanderpump Rules, Ariana Madix was pounding the pavement in New York City, waiting for her Broadway dreams to become a reality.

During her appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show, the Bravo-lebrity contestant shared that her vision of being in the entertainment industry didn't always include reality television. After studying theatre in college, Madix moved to NYC to pursue Broadway.

"I was a theatre major, I was a theatre kid. I always wanted to be on Broadway. I lived in New York for a little bit and when I moved to LA, things just weren't... I was in acting classes but it's tough. I'm starting from ground zero. I didn't know anybody. I had no connections. No nothing."

Although audiences can now see Madix's performance skills on display on Dancing With the Stars, VANDERPUMP RULES was her only gateway to getting on screen at the beginning of her career.

"It was actually my acting teacher that was like, 'You know, if Martin Scorsese
is not banging down your door to try to cast you in a movie or something, you need to say yes to the opportunities that are presented to you and just make what you can of it.'"

Madix made headlines earlier this year with the "Scandoval," in which her partner of nine years, Tom Sandoval, had a secret affair with their best friend and co-star, Raquel (Rachel) Leviss, while the show was filming.

In an unprecedented move, Bravo resumed production on season 10, six months after they had initially wrapped, to capture the groundbreaking fallout.

When speaking on the "very intense" first look at the upcoming eleventh season of Vanderpump Rules, Madix shared how she juggled seeing her "very hard summer" play out on screen with the excitement of BravoCon.

"Its been 10 years [on Vanderpump Rules], which is insane to think about, but it opened up so many doors."

Now, after starring in Lifetime movies and taking over the DANCING WITH THE STARS ballroom, Broadway may be the next door to open for Ariana Madix.

Watch the interview:

Photo Credit: Chris Millard/Warner Bros.