Role Modeling With Eva Marcille

By Keith Boykin, in pop culture
Tuesday, February 6 2007, 12:34PM

If you don't recognize the name Eva Marcille, that's because the name is relatively new to the public. You may remember her as Eva the model, the winner of America's Next Top Model with Tyra Banks. Or you may remember her as Eva Pigford, the name she went by before she dropped the last name and replaced it with her softer sounding middle name. Or you may remember her as Eva the host, a role she now plays on the new BET J television series "My Model Looks Better Than Your Model." And if things go well with her newest career venture, you may soon remember her as Eva the actress.

As part of the ongoing fashion week series on this web site, I thought it would be a good time to sit down and talk to Eva about her career. And it's good timing for her show too. After a short winter hiatus, the BET J show is scheduled to return this month to air the semi-finals and finals competition.

The following interview took place two weeks before fashion week. I spoke to Eva by telephone while she was in Los Angeles.

INTERVIEW WITH EVA MARCILLE

Keith Boykin: Hi Eva, thanks for doing the interview. How’s it going? What’s in LA?

Eva Marcille: We are in the heat of pilot season. That’s why I’m out here in LA between pilots and movies.

Keith Boykin: Is that a new direction for you?

Eva Marcille: This is my second pilot season. My first pilot season was last year and I booked a pilot on the spot called Wedding Album and we shot the pilot but the show didn’t go to production.

Keith Boykin: So you're acting, modeling and TV hosting now. Where do you go from here?

Eva Marcille: In the future, if you look at my 5-year plan, I definitely see myself doing more acting but I will never give up my responsibility to the modeling world…I love it and I will never get it up.

Keith Boykin: Where are you from?

Eva Marcille: Born and bred in Los Angeles, California.

Keith Boykin: I know you were in New York for awhile and you just returned to LA. Did you miss it?

Eva Marcille: I definitely missed Cali while I was in New York. However I never really worked here in LA, so to be out here doing the day-to-day grind is definitely new for me, but I’m loving it.

Keith Boykin: How did you get involved with the My Model show?

Eva Marcille: First and foremost, my friend Nathan created an amazing show with a wonderful premise and a great idea, so Nathan came to me and asked me to be a part of it, and I asked him if I could produce it, so he gave me that opportunity…Being in front of the camera and bend the camera and seeing what the producers had to deal with on my show was extremely cool….

Keith Boykin: I know your show only had a tiny fraction of Tyra's budget. How did it compare to America's Next Top Model?

Eva Marcille: The comparison is extremely large. Being behind the scenes you get an opportunity to make the contestants do the things that you have planned for them. And you kind of set the tone for the integrity of the show. So we could either set up a cat fight or quash a cat fight.

Keith Boykin: You had cat fights on My Model? I don't remember seeing any.

Eva Marcille: Like I was saying, I could set stuff up and go and tell one contestant what another contestant said and that’s what producers usually do to create the drama in a show. But our show is not about drama…You didn’t see a lot of cat fights because there weren’t as many, but believe me there definitely were [a few].

Keith Boykin: It was reported in the media that you are no longer working with Tyra Banks as your manager. What's your relationship with Tyra now? Was there any drama?

Eva Marcille: [People] can definitely add the extra drama into the situation, but it’s not that. It’s business…My work, my acting, my modeling, that’s my livelihood, so it would be in my best interest….I changed my name to Eva Marcille. I’m focusing on acting more…[It's] more than just a modeling realm…so I decided to change to a management that specializes in the theatrical department, which I’ve done.

Keith Boykin: How do you deal with the controversy and the media stories about you?

Eva Marcille: When I first started in the business…it was extremely frustrating. But at this point right now I’ve learned from my new manager Jerome Martin. He says anything you say or do will be held against you….If I’m waking down the street, that will be…

Keith Boykin: I remember there was a story about you and New York Giants player Michael Strahan last year too. What do you think about that old saying that all publicity is good publicity?

Eva Marcille: They say that…to keep that particular talent or actor or artist in the paper. For me, all publicity isn’t necessarily good publicity…at the end of the day, I didn’t come out bad [from the Strahan story]. He was a friend of mine…There was nothing really deep about it at all.

Keith Boykin: You mentioned a five year plan earlier. What's that?

Eva Marcille: I definitely plan on acting. I want to star in a series on TV. I eventually want to have my own clothing line.

Keith Boykin: How does that happen?

Eva Marcille:There are many different ways to go about doing it. Some people have an idea…and they hire designers. Some people are designers and they create their own….I plan on designing my own clothes….Right now my focus of concentration is on acting, so that’s why it’s part of my 5-year plan, and not my 1 year plan.

Keith Boykin: What's next?

Eva Marcille: In February, I have a cameo appearance in Chairs Rock’s new movie I Think I Love My Wife…Since I’ve been in LA I’ve just starred on a TV show called The Game.

Keith Boykin: Do you think you would you prefer doing TV or film?

Eva Marcille: It has completely evolved. There was a point where a TV star could never be seen on television, but now you have Alicia Keys playing in Smokin' Aces. It’s not like I like one over the other…I absolutely love film. With television, you get to see a character evolve and see them grow. So I love them both. I guess you could say equally.

Keith Boykin: How do you have fun?

Eva Marcille: I love forensic files and Law and Order. I love forensic type of TV shows. I crochet. Since I’ve been in LA I’ve been sketching a lot. I read a lot. Its really not the ideal life you would think of a socialite being 22 years old.

Keith Boykin: So you're not our partying every night?

Eva Marcille: If I’m out partying I’m wasting away my energy for auditions.. I have time to do all that stuff. And I don’t want to burn myself out.

Keith Boykin: I'm already surprised by the crocheting. Tell me something else about yourself that people don't know.

Eva Marcille: I like Supernintendo. I have a Gameboy…and I have all the Super Mario Brothers [games].

Keith Boykin: Are you any good?

Eva Marcille: I passed all the Super Mario Brothers, except for 3. [Interviewer's note: I have no idea what this means so I don't know if I caught it correctly.]

Keith Boykin: Well we've come to the end of the interview. I do a series on my web site where I ask prominent people to tell me five of their favorite things. Can you tell me five of your favorite things?

Eva Marcille:

1. I love my mommy, I love my family
2. Mexican food
3. my car
4. my dog
5. every shoe in my shoe collection

Keith Boykin: Well thanks Eva.