Kim Kardashian is weeks away from learning her law exam results, but she has stated that divorce law is not in her professional future.
Kardashian, 45, who will portray divorce attorney Allura Grant in Disney+’s forthcoming legal drama “All’s Fair,” told the BBC that she is “more into criminal justice and reform work,” adding, “I don’t think I can ever really do family law.”
For the past six years, Kardashian has been studying to become a lawyer through an apprenticeship, which bypasses the traditional requirement of a university degree.
“It was the wildest idea that I was going to law school – but to me it all makes sense, and I hope that I’m forever curious and always want to try new things,” she stated.
Kardashian, who shares four children with ex-husband Kanye West, also manages her fashion and shapewear brand, SKIMS, and stars in the reality series “The Kardashians” with her family.
Her interest in criminal justice has been showcased on her reality TV shows, where she has advocated for prison reform in the U.S. and sentence reductions for first-time offenders.
Her recent foray into acting has raised eyebrows, given her already packed schedule, but it has not dampened Kardashian’s ambition.
“I guess I just don’t live in those expectation boxes,” she remarked.
She “loves taking on constructive criticism” but doesn’t understand why people think she “can’t do something that you want to do or are curious or want to learn about”.
Kardashian’s formal introduction to acting came in 2023 when she was cast in the 12th season of “American Horror Story,” portraying a publicist.
She received mostly positive reviews for her performance, which encouraged her to pursue more acting opportunities.
“All’s Fair” reunites Kardashian with “American Horror Story” showrunner Ryan Murphy, known for hit series such as “Glee” and “Pose.”
Murphy’s latest project is a legal drama set in the U.S. which sees Kardashian play a divorce lawyer alongside Sarah Paulson, Naomi Watts, Glenn Close, Niecy Nash, and Teyana Taylor.
Kardashian said her priority was to “come in prepared” to set, adding that she would spend every day “watching and learning from these women,” who she called “the best acting coaches in the world.”
She added that there was a lot of pressure on her because those behind the show were “taking a chance on working with me.”
“The last thing I would want to do is be unprofessional, be late, or not know my lines,” she stated.
“All’s Fair,” which Disney+ claims holds the record for their most-watched trailer of all time, dramatizes the lives of lawyers tasked with navigating divorce for wealthy and famous female clients.
Kardashian calls divorce “such a relatable topic” after experiencing it “with my family and parents growing up.”
Kardashian herself has been divorced three times, most recently from Kanye West in 2022 after eight years of marriage.
While she says the stories of the women in the show “are not based on anything I’ve been through”, she was “definitely inspired” by practicing to be a lawyer.
Kardashian’s co-star Watts also recognizes that, whilst the show might be sensationalised, the story of “women who feel like they’re finished, [their lives] are all over, broken and in pieces” at the end of a relationship is one that is familiar for many.
Nash, who stars as a legal investigator in the show, says that divorce is something many “have in common with other women and celebrities” and thinks the show is so appealing due to its relatability, even if it’s more dramatic way than real life.
Paulson adds that although the central theme of the show may be divorce, “conflict and resolution is a beautiful part of the show”, which also “tackles big, important and emotional relationships”.
Much of the talk around the show has been about the strength of the all-female cast, which is filled with some of Hollywood’s biggest names.
The cast all echo that it was Ryan Murphy – who has won six Emmy awards, a Tony award and two Grammy awards in his 25-year career in television, film and theatre – that convinced them to sign up.
“He [Murphy] calls and I don’t tend to say no to him,” Paulson jokes.
Paulson is perhaps one of Murphy’s greatest collaborators, having appeared in nine series of American Horror Story between 2011 and 2021.
Kardashian says the cast all went into the project “blindly” but it was great to see Murphy’s “magic come to life”.
“Ryan was really intentional in that way, he really loves to uplift women and make these female-led casts, which is super empowering. He wrote it that way, he saw it no other way,” she adds.
Watts also agrees, noting that the writer and producer “manages to identify spaces that haven’t necessarily been visited before.”
“He’s wonderful at creating stories for women of a certain age, and for me that’s where I am at in my life.
These women all get to do these incredible things together – we’re such a different group – different ages and everything and we’re supporting each other through the story,” Watts adds.
Murphy received a five-year developmental deal with Netflix in 2018, which was reportedly worth $300m (£228m).
During that time he made two true crime series for the streaming service – Dahmer- Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story and Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, plus drama series The Politician.
Murphy now has a new deal with Disney+, which includes All’s Fair.
He serves as executive producer on the show alongside Kardashian, Close, Paulson, Watts and Nash.
Kris Jenner, Kardashian’s mother and manager, also receives a director credit.
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