Inside the Boardroom with Ivanka Trump

TV Guide: OK, I am loving this season!
Ivanka Trump: I think a lot of people are loving it, which has been a great relief to us all. It's been a lot of fun and I think we allowed a bit of breathing room. My father was very right — he'd been saying for a long time that it was too much. The shows were happening either concurrently, when it was Martha Stewart's and ours, or just back-to-back seasons. And I think the angle of the celebrity factor keeps it very exciting.

TV Guide: How nuts were those boardroom scenes with the celebrities fighting all the time?
Trump: We don't have a lot of time to waste at the Trump Organization [Laughs]…. We have too many deals going on. So there are no retakes. It's about as "reality" as you can get.

TV Guide: When you saw the list of stars attached to the show, who were you most apprehensive about dealing with?
Trump: "Apprehensive" I don't think would be the word for it. I didn't come into the process in that regard. It's very different for me on a personal level, because I have tremendous amounts of respect for these people and they've all accomplished something. It's not that they just have great potential as in past seasons; it's that they have actually accomplished great feats and have been industry-setters within their respective fields. So I wanted to be careful and respectful of that. I always remind myself of that, being 25 years old. I never lost sight of that and was excited to meet everyone. Lennox Lewis, I mean, he's Lennox Lewis. I grew up at my father's casinos in Atlantic City watching all of the heavyweight bouts on his lap when I was 6 years old. So I have seen Lennox in the ring and now I have seen him in a different ring, which has been a lot of fun. And I think Marilu Henner is the sweetest person on the planet…. She is really amazing.

TV Guide: I have never seen, even in past seasons, players get so nasty!
Trump: Again, these are people who are extremely accomplished and they all bring different skills to the table. You have to be a winner to get where they are, be it in TV, music, et cetera. That said, you approach things from a different perspective and you've learned through a different context, so sometimes — just like in life — people don't get along or they have different ways of doing things. And I think most of the people on the show are used to doing it their own way. [Laughs]

TV Guide: For a child of fame, you sure have avoided scandal.
Trump: See, now I'm jinxed! [Laughs] No, I don't pretend to be perfect or that I stay home every night. I have great friends, I love having fun…. But I live for something bigger. I have no interest in dancing on a table at 2 in the morning on a Wednesday because I want to be in the office on Thursday.

TV Guide: How does a guy stand a chance asking you out? Aren't they afraid of meeting your dad?
Trump: [Laughs] My dad is a pretty normal kind of guy, despite the obvious public persona. He's not unlike meeting the father of any other young girl, so I think there's always apprehension. Now it may be a little bit heightened for me. [Laughs]

TV Guide: What do you get the dad who has everything?
Trump: Once you figure that out, please feel free to call me, because I have no idea. [Laughs] He doesn't want for much from life. He has everything he needs  —  he's not a gadget guy. He owns his own golf courses so he can raid the pro shop at his discretion. It's not easy.

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