Eva LaRue
Eva LaRue is the perfect example of that forty-year old actress who has aged gracefully, but the CSI: Miami star admits plastic surgery could be in her future. Her mix of Puerto Rican, French, Dutch, and Scottish gives her a look like no other.
Though Hollywood is starting to realize the lead role of a late 30s to early 40s actress more often, LaRue still believes your longevity can only last so long. You can tell in her voice that that she is sympathetic towards those twenty something troubled Hollywood stars, but then she tells a story of how her brother was killed by a drunk driver and is happy the rules have gotten stricter.
Listen to the Eva LaRue CYInterview:
(Backup Player: Including IE)
Chris Yandek: What is something about Eva LaRue the public should know?
Eva Larue: “That I am a better shot than my character. Have better on hand coordination than my character. That I probably cuss more than I should.”
CY: What should we look forward to from you on this season of CSI: Miami?
EL: “It’s going to revolve around me getting my gun license and then I think there is going to be an ordeal that happens based on that. Natalia tries really hard and she is still learning how to be a CSI. She’s really found her legs this year. She’s feeling a lot more confident. I think she’s gonna get embroiled in a situation that her best efforts didn’t end up working out very well.”
CY: Being a Hispanic woman, is it getting more positive as far as the roles go like your role on CSI: Miami?
EL: “Oh definitely. I think ten years ago there were just barely any roles period for Latina women in nighttime television. There was like a smattering of Latina men in procedural roles on nighttime TV, but there was literally not one woman ten years ago. If there were, it was reoccurring like being the hooker, the maid, the nanny, something like that. Now there are all these great Latin roles for women and men in television in really important roles. Scientists, doctors, lawyers, and it’s been a fantastic jump in the last five years alone.”
CY: Was it hard for you as someone who grew up in this world not seeing a lot of Hispanic women, entertainment role models on TV, in movies, music, etc?
EL: “Well, I think probably for other women who grew up in an all Latina household – because I grew up with mom predominately and my mom and all my aunts are right in [sync] with bright blue eyes and glowing blonde hair. My sister and I – even though we were the tanner ones in our family, it was nice because we didn’t grow up thinking there was a ceiling for us because we didn’t grow up in an all Latino household looking for other Latinas to be our role models. We had all the gamut of actors and actresses in every nationality to be our role models and it was nice. We didn’t see a ceiling on ourselves.”
CY: How does Natalia on CSI Miami compare to Dr. Maria Santos Grey on All My Children?
EL: “Well, I am guessing they both have the same laugh as would I. All three of us laugh the same way. We all tend to weigh about the same, same height. I love that they’re both firey, committed to their families, and really ambitious and driven in their work. Both very…very smart, obviously both scientists, DNA is her specialty. I think they do have a lot of similarities actually and they both have quite a bit of drama going on for them.”
CY: The CSI franchise of shows has definitely done well, so when actor Gary Dourdan had his incident with a photographer, did you feel like I need to be careful with how close these photographers get to me for example?
EL: “Well, it is the unfortunate downside of making it in this business. We try so hard for so many years to make it in this business and everybody gets into thinking oh fame is such a lovely thing. Fame is a very scary thing depending on how famous you are and I think you just have to be extra careful when you’re in this business. Unfortunately there is a lot of younger kids that are cutting their teeth in the business and at a time when nobody should be watched that closely. Think about your early 20s, would you have wanted somebody watching you under a magnified glass? I don’t think I’d want any of my early 20’s running around being exploited for all to see. Those are sort of your learning years.”
CY: Well, I am in my early 20s.
EL: “Oh you are?”
CY: Yes.
EL: “So whatever you’re doing now, you’re probably a super good boy.”
CY: Yeah. Well, I worked in the industry for seven years since I was a teenager. But yeah I’ve been under the microscope so I understand what you’re saying.
EL: “Yeah. It’s also a time when you’re formulating your opinions on things. I think in your early 20’s you think of things as more black and white. When you get a little older you see the gray area more. You understand the gray area more. I just don’t know if the things any of the kids are saying in the business right now – they’re learning and they’re growing up and I feel really sad for what’s going on with these girls right now.”
CY: You started as a teenage beauty queen in this industry, so as you were growing up and becoming successful, was it just I can’t be distracted by these things or was it because it was different then?
EL: “I think it was a little different then and I didn’t want to be distracted. I really had a goal in mind and it was to be successful in this business. I didn’t know what form that would take whether it was going to be movies or TV. Didn’t know it was going to be soaps for as long as it was. Soaps are very regular nine to five corporate job within this industry. There is not really any time to goof off too much. The next day you have to memorize fifty pages of dialogue. If you’re going to go out and get wasted and drunk you might as well be fired from your job. You wouldn’t be able to come in and do the work. The soaps are totally on the straight and narrow.”
CY: You definitely don’t look your age, so are there any aging secrets or did you just have good parents?
EL: “I think the Puerto Rican part of my family really came in handy because my dad looks super young and my grandmother looks super young on my dad’s side. Their skin is just an amazing shape. I think I just got lucky. When I need it in the future years – I am sure it’s not far off, I am not totally against pulling it here and prepping it there, but luckily I haven’t had to do that”
CY: So you would consider plastic surgery then?
EL: “Oh sure. I am actually pushing my daughter who keeps thinking she wants to be an actress and I am like no…no…no, you gotta be something useful. You gotta grow up and be a plastic surgeon. (Laughs). Even though she’s five and a half, I am pushing plastic surgeon school on her. Gotta help momma when she needs it for free.”
CY: There are a lot of very beautiful women in show business, but is Hollywood slow to realize the older women in the leading roles?
EL: “I think it has been, but now there really is a plethora of older women in leading roles, certainly with Desperate Housewives. Making it cool. Glamorizing. Making them as hot as they are and showing them for what they are. Also, I think we have got all these phenomenal feature film actresses that are in their 40s or closing in on 40s. All of our best actresses are in that age range and they’re gorgeous and they’re sexy. Nicole Kidman is 37 or 38.”
CY: Halle Berry is 41 and about to have a child.
EL: “Exactly! Jennifer Lopez, it looks like she is about to have a baby. She’s 38.”
CY: Well, she’s having twins reportedly?
EL: “She’s having twins?”
CY: Reportedly.
EL: “Woah! Then we’ve got Cate Blanchett, arguably the best actress right now of her time. Naomi Watts. All these girls are in their upper 30s and getting ready to hit 40 and they’re gorgeous and phenomenally talented. I think it helps.”
CY: What’s it like being a third cousin to Jane Fonda?
EL: “I don’t think she knows or cares, but it’s pretty interesting as a pedigree. It’s an interesting conversation starter I guess.”
CY: Do you know the relation exactly?
EL: “She is my grandmother’s sister’s daughter’s daughter. My great aunt’s daughters daughter.”
CY: Regarding the young ones we talked about earlier, do you have any advice, any experiences you could share? You definitely are paying attention to this because you work in the industry. I definitely am paying attention to this because I am their age, but you just say to yourself why don’t they call a cab? Why doesn’t somebody drive them? Why can’t they call somebody to come pick them up?
EL: “Exactly! I think there is bravado in I’m gonna be fine. I don’t need somebody to drive me. A friend of mine actually just got busted for drunk driving and he said it’s such a pain in the neck now. It used to be very easy. You could get a slap on the hand and they would send you away. It’s good that the rules have gotten stricter. I lost my brother when I was eleven years old, and my brother was killed by a drunk driver and he was 21.
At the time there were absolutely no rules in place at all. This guy not only crossed the double yellow line and hit my brother head on and killed him, but he broke his leg and tried to sue my family for breaking his leg. We’ve gone so far the other way thankfully. Now my friend who just got his first drunk driving thing says it’s such a hassle and he said he would never ever do it again.”
CY: Finally, what do you still want to do in this life?
EL: “Like anybody, I would love to have the longevity in show business. In this industry, you only have a certain amount of longevity before it’s just not your turn anymore. I really love to travel. I like doing TV, but would love to do some feature films in the near future. I just finished one with Samuel Jackson called Lake Terrace. It was an awesome feature. I’d like to keep doing features in my time off from TV. I think I am in a really good place right now. I like having the regular job and then I love doing some different stuff during hiatus. I hate to sound boring, but I’d love more of the same. Just to make sure my kid grows up to be a good kid as it’s tough to do in this town and industry.”
CY: And a good doctor.
EL: “And a good doctor. I am gonna put the name out there now. The good plastic surgeon twenty years from now.”
You can catch Eva LaRue as Natalia on CSI: Miami Monday nights at 10:00 PM. You can find more information at the following link:
http://www.cbs.com/primetime/csi_miami/
You can keep up with everything Eva LaRue at her official site www.evalarue.com