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If you’ve ever wondered whether there’s anything bad about being Maxim’s “hottest woman in the world,” Eva Longoria Parker is here to make you feel silly for asking.
“I’m going to go with sexy as long as it takes me,” Longoria Parker proudly said, “it’s better than being on the other lists.”
Okay, it was a dumb question. But even on this day of interviews at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in downtown Miami for her comedy “Over Her Dead Body,” her beauty is striking and immediate. Her hair is shoulder-length and just wavy enough to accentuate her heavily made-up face, while a black skirt and black and white top lets her look elegant and professional, but not showy.
Longoria Parker (she added the “Parker” after marrying basketball player Tony Parker in July 2007) clearly enjoys being looked at and adored, and a lack of eye contact creates an aloof sense about her that keeps outsiders at bay. When she talks it’s a carefully modulated rendition of “studio speak” (i.e. saying the standard flattering things about the movie, her fellow cast mates, etc.) and blunt honesty, most interestingly about her future.
“I would love to play any comic book character — I find those fun and entertaining,” she said with an energetic smile. “I’m a tom boy, and I was an athlete growing up, so for me, it’s like: ‘I want to show everyone that I’m not just this glamorous girl, you know?’”
She’s ventured into this territory two times in recent years alongside Michael Douglas and Kiefer Sutherland in “The Sentinel” and Christian Bale in “Harsh Times,” and she says she’s looking for more action and drama.
So why are we seeing her in “Over Her Dead Body”? “I did this movie two years ago, and at that time I really wanted to do a romantic comedy,” Longoria Parker said. (Note: As a general rule it’s usually a bad sign when a movie sits on the shelf for two years, let alone when a starlet openly reveals that information during a brief interview.)
Longoria Parker plays Kate, a hyper-controlling shrew who’s killed by an ice sculpture the morning of her wedding. One year later she reappears as a ghost who haunts the new love interest of her fiancé (Paul Rudd), a struggling psychic and caterer named Ashley (Lake Bell).
If Kate sounds like she’s the evil twin of Gabrielle Solis, Longoria Parker’s character on “Desperate Housewives,” in many ways she is. And similar to Gabrielle, Kate has to be bitchy and yet likeable enough to sympathize with so we can enjoy the comedy.
“It’s a little tricky, but I really felt Kate was very justified in her bitchiness and controlling ways,” Longoria Parker said. “She loses the man she loves and dies on her wedding day, and isn’t ready to move on. I’d be a little angry too. It was a fine line between her retaliating against those who are trying to take away her man and allowing herself to realize what is really best for him.”
It sounds melancholic, but believe it or not it was the comedy that drew her to the role. “I thought the ghost in the script was the funniest thing in the movie, and she had all the fun stuff to do,” Longoria Parker said. “It’s always fun playing the antagonist who causes all the drama and conflict.”
If Longoria Parker has things her way — and right now she has the power to control what comes next — it looks like there will be a lot more drama and conflict in her future.
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