Who needs reality when you have “The Hills?”

“Laguna Beach” and its two offshoots, “The Hills” and “Newport Beach,” have become ratings juggernauts and shaped the collective unconscious about reality — except they are not quite reality shows. The infamous statement at the beginnings of these shows states that “the drama is real,” but nothing else seems to be.

The sophisticated and glossy camerawork on these shows stands in stark contrast to the hand-held, cinema verité of “The Real World.”

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From “Laguna Beach” surfer to undersea superhero? It might be a short walk distance wise, but for former MTV reality show star Talan Torriero it feels like a nearly insurmountable chasm. Still, he’s not giving up.

Talan recently discuss his latest movie “Driftwood,” a horror film about a camp for wayward youths, and wound up dishing dirt on his former co-stars, his love of musical theater, his intense and “crazy” acting method, and why his dream role involves talking to fish.

read more at moviesblog.mtv.com