'The Hills': Whitney Port addresses spin-off rumors

MTV’s hit The Hills returns for its fourth season Aug. 18 (check out the EW cover story), and it may very well be its last. But the good news for despondent fans is there might be a new project in the works for cast member Whitney Port, who, rumor has it, may be getting a spin-off set in The Big Apple. “At this point I’m just going to New York to film for The Hills,” Port tells EW.com. “There are rumors, and rumors that I’ve heard from people at MTV as well, but nothing is set in stone yet, and there is no foreseeable move date right now.”

Port adds that there could very well be another season of The HIlls coming up as well. “I was told that was going to be it and then there was talk of maybe another [season],” she says. “So I’m hearing different things from everyone, but at this point we’re all just wrapped up in the moment. I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

Port, who will continue working for People’s Revolution in the upcoming season, has typically steered clear of playing a big role in any of the drama on The Hills, preferring instead to primarily serve as a confidante for good pal Lauren Conrad. Can such a minor “character” anchor her own show? “I’m not one to shy away from cameras, clearly, since I’m on [The Hills], but it’s always been difficult to open up personally,” Port admits. “It’s definitely something I’m willing to do, but to the extent that I’ll reveal everything, I’ll do it at my own pace.”

Though it remains unclear when (and even if) the spin-off will actually happen, Port is hopeful that it will enable her to make a positive impact as a star. “The thought of it is definitely scary. I think I’d be crazy if I said it wasn’t,” she says. “But it’s something I think I can use as a vehicle to just almost hopefully be some sort of role model. And that’s not to say that I am, but I try to look at it more that way than that I’m just going to be part of another reality show.”