As the diminutive diva of "The Real Housewives of Atlanta," Lisa Wu Hartwell has no qualms about opening up—after all she is on a reality show watched by millions. Hartwell checked in with ESSENCE.com to talk about  another side of herself rarely seen, what she really thinks about Dwight's criticism in the name of "friendship," and Sheree's no-show at her Closet Freak fashion show.

ESSENCE.COM: Since you stopped by the ESSENCE office in August, how have you been keeping busy?
LISA WU HARTWELL: Believe it or not, I've been speaking at churches and colleges. It all started at Pastor Jamal Bryant's church for his empowerment seminar. I was invited to speak, and when I did I backed everything up with scripture. A lot of people were shocked that I knew the Word, but that's a side of me folks don't get to see on the show and that's my spiritual side. I was saved when I was 19 and very into the church. After I spoke there were other bishops there and they invited me to come speak at their churches. It's funny how everything comes back full circle.

ESSENCE.COM: Who knew? Would you describe yourself as an overzealous Christian?
HARTWELL: Yes, I was a fanatic. If I was in someone's car and hip-hop was playing I would turn their music off, or I refused to be around certain people, which was wrong because those are usually the ones that need to hear the Word the most. My brothers used to hate to see me coming and called me a holy roller. I was really into church, but I started to backslide a bit, but I've always had morals and integrity. Now, I don't claim to be holier and thou because I've learned to find the balance. It's just funny how God has a sense of humor and makes sure to always bring you back to him without you even realizing it, so I've been enjoying speaking at churches.

ESSENCE.COM: Amazing. Didn't you also write gospel plays before anyone ever knew what a "Real Housewife" was?
HARTWELL: (Laughs.) Yeah, I wrote a gospel play called "A Change Is Gonna Come" and Tyler [Perry] directed it with Todd Bridges and the sibling gospel group The Williams Brothers, who were extremely popular at the time. So, yeah, there's more to me than most would expect because as a cast member of a reality show I'm judged on only a fraction of what people see.

ESSENCE.COM: Did you think your alter ego shoot was befitting?
HARTWELL: It's funny because I was supposed to do an alter ego one with Derek Blanks before all of this, but it just never happened. I think NeNe did a great job of directing, but I didn't want to do the good girl/bad girl thing because my original idea was to play up my biracial background. One image was going to be inspired by the movie "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and the other one I hadn't quite figured out yet but it would have been a tribute to my African-American heritage. It's funny because I could definitely tap into the bad chick role because I'm a martial artist, but I would have been taking up for the girl scout girl from the bad girl and not picking on her myself (laughs).

ESSENCE.COM: What's up with your Closet Freaks collection?
HARTWELL: We're going to be in stores in 2010. We had to revamp some things with Myriam Belasse, but I'm happy with the final product. I know Dwight criticized me on air, and there's a time and a place for everything, and a friend would know that. I can take constructive criticism, but I have no idea who made him the fashion guru. And Sheree? I don't know where all the negativity was coming from. She called me a copycat, and I'm like, what are we in grade school? (Laughs.) It's just hilarious to me, because last year I met with her and was advising her on which direction she should take with her clothing line, and if she remembers I had a baby clothing line before Closet Freaks. We've talked since that taping. As sad as it is, they are my castmates. It's a reality show. Some feel the need to put on to stay relevant and stand out when the cameras are turned on but I am the same person whether the cameras are there or not.

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