Heavy/NBCUniversal Southern Charm cast
The 9th season of “Southern Charm” was Leva Bonaparte‘s third as a main cast member, although she appeared in all the seasons prior to the 7th as a guest star.
While speaking with People, Bonaparte revealed that she was originally discussing with producers the possibility of becoming a main cast member due to Craig Conover‘s interest in being her business partner. “I’ve known those guys forever,” Bonaparte admitted.
“I was Cameran Eubanks’ roommate for a time, and Craig used to always be in my bars, running up to me like, ‘I think that girl’s cute, can you introduce me?’ So I had a natural connection to the group,” she continued. “But I didn’t think I fit the mold of the show because I’m not Southern.”
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Leva Bonaparte Said She Was Surprised When Producers Told Her They Wanted Her to Be on the Show
Prior to season 7, Bonaparte met with producers because she thought they wanted to focus on the possible storyline with Conover. “Craig and I were talking about him joining Bourbon N’ Bubbles as a part-owner and kind of becoming the face of it,” she shared. “So when producers came to town and they asked to meet with me, and I thought it was to talk about Craig, what sort of things we’d film there, etc.”
“And about halfway through our conversation, they were like, ‘Why are you talking about Craig so much? We want you to be on the show,'” she recalled. “I was so jarred. And when I told them, ‘But I’m not Southern,’ they said to me, ‘No, but you’re Charleston. You represent the new South. Anyone who comes here knows you and Lamar, and we want to grow the show into what this city is about now.'”
Despite having the support of producers, Bonaparte has had a mixed reaction from fans at times, and she shared that “many people, in the beginning, were just venomous to me, as if I was ruining their show by simply being myself.” However, she said the message from most fans has changed with time, and that she has received a lot of support.
Leva Bonaparte Has Mostly Stayed Out of the Cast Drama & Is Often the Friend That Others Go to for Advice
Bonaparte, as a married mother of one, has often stayed on the outside of the drama on “Southern Charm” and acts instead as a sounding board for many of its cast members. In the latest season 9 episodes, the cast has been on a trip to Jamaica together, though Bonaparte opted not to go and stayed in Charleston.
Earlier in the season, Bonaparte often appeared as the person some of the cast turned to for advice. In one scene, Olivia Flowers called her to vent after she learned that Taylor Ann Green and Austen Kroll explored whether they should date. In another scene, Bonaparte, Green and Venita Aspen visited Flowers to support her and offer her a safe space in the wake of her brother Conner Flowers’ death.
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