Sai De Silva Talks “Most Difficult” Scene on RHONY, Jeff Lewis

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Credit: Jennifer Graylock/INSTARimages

Sai De Silva reflected on her season 14 casting on The Real Housewives of New York City, her past “villain” persona, and how she changed ahead of season 15 during an interview over the weekend.

As she also opened up about one of her “most difficult scenes,” reacted to the ongoing comparisons between her castmates and the OGs, and commented on Jeff Lewis‘ shade against Brynn Whitfield, 37, Sai was questioned about newbie Rebecca Minkoff, 43, dished on her husband David Craig‘s lack of filming, and explained why she hesitated to join the show in the first place.

“As someone who constantly curates her own life on the internet, I felt like I would be losing that control of it if I was to give that over to Bravo … But at the same time, I think being presented with a television show that has been such a staple of New York City, and being like the first to actually reboot it, I felt would be such an iconic moment. Why wouldn’t I take that opportunity?” Sai, 44, wondered during a December 22 interview with The Daily Beast.

While Sai admittedly did lose that control, she said she didn’t actually realize she was the villain of season 14 until her friends brought it up.

“I still don’t think I was a villain. I think I was cranky because I was hungry. I’m a hangry person,” she reasoned. “And I also think I was very annoyed with someone, and my reasons were very much on camera, and I apologized when needed.”

Although Sai faced backlash online, she “didn’t care.”

“People are really like, ‘Oh my god, she’s fired.’ No, I’m hearing birds chirping in the background and classical music. I don’t care about anybody else’s opinion,” she declared.

According to Sai, she’s simply misunderstood as an assertive New Yorker who isn’t known for being “overly affectionate or fluffy.” That said, she realized between seasons 14 and 15 that not everyone was like her and made a point to work on her delivery.

“My message gets lost, because all people see is that I’m screaming. This season I took a step back. I don’t know if you can tell or not, but I’m still very much myself. I’m still very honest … but my tone is different,” she revealed.

Looking back at the emotional moment in which she was seen spreading her mother’s ashes, Sai confessed that the scene wasn’t the easiest to film.

“That was one of the most difficult scenes, just because it’s something so personal. I’m not someone who opens up and shows my emotions. My husband can count how many times he’s seen me cry, and we’ve been married for 15 years. Not only crying in front of my family and my children, but also crying for the world to see, it was very tough for me to get through,” she shared. 

As for comparisons to the original cast of RHONY, Sai admitted it is “annoying” and “frustrating.”

“We are trying. You need to allow us to get our footing, so we can become the show you’re craving, but at the same time you’re beating us up. What do you want from us?” she asked. “If we yell and have little arguments about cheese? ‘Oh that’s terrible, it’s too petty.’ But if it’s so dark you don’t want to see it. ‘Why are you fighting? You should be better than that, you’re professional women!’”

“Then nobody wants to see us kumbaya,” she continued. “We can’t please the audience right now, so we’re in limbo. I do think the season is going to pick up, and I think it’s quintessential Housewives. I think the audience is really going to react in a positive way.”

While Rebecca has been accused of being boring, Sai refused to agree, instead saying, “I think Rebecca is lovely.”

“I think Rebecca is very nice. She’s very kind, very sweet, I don’t have issues with Rebecca at all,” she explained.

Sai also remained diplomatic when asked about Brynn calling Jeff, 54, a pig for alluding to the fact that she could be financially backed by a mystery man.

“I adore him. People who are straight shooters seem to gravitate towards one another. I find his honesty refreshing,” she stated.

Also during the interview, Sai explained why her husband David is rarely seen on the show.

“He’s just not a househusband! He’s not into the cattiness of the girls, he doesn’t like to get involved in something that is just women, it’s just not really his thing … I like the fact that you see us in a family setting, but I don’t think it’s necessary for him to go to so-and-so’s birthday party,” she said.

The Real Housewives of New York City season 15 airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on Bravo.