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January 2004
Barbershop 2 : An Interview with Eve

Barbershop 2: An Interview with Eve

Eve is certainly trying to follow in the footsteps of Queen Latifah. Sheís changing her game left and right and we are following her wherever she goes. From the music industry to the fashion world, and from movies to a television show and now back to movies, we are right behind her. It wasnít that long ago when the Queen made those moves, and look where sheís at now. Eve is young, bright, and has much more to give. Back again as Terri, the only female barber, in Barbershop 2: Back in Business, Eve spoke to blackfilm.com about her first on-screen kiss and working out her busy schedule.


WM: How much did you learn about haircutting?

Eve: Well, for the first film, we actually went to Barber school, and with this film, we didn't get a chance to do anything.


WM: Have you ever had a memorable haircutting experience?

Eve: You know what. I have a lot of wild hair styles. They were cute then and if I look at a picture now, they would probably look bad. I have shades, points, colors, and stacks of curls. I've done everything.


WM: Did you have any concerns coming back for this film?

Eve: I think the concerns were that because the first film was so good, is this one going to be better. But I was happy to come back because everyone came back. I wanted to come back. I had a fun experience on the first one, so why not. We see how sequals are. Sometimes they're good and make it, and sometimes not. I think this one will make it. This film is just as good. A lot of people think it's better that the first one. I think this one is amazing.


WM: Although Queen Latifah and other females are in the film, how did it feel being the lone female within the core group of guys in the film?

Eve: I'm fine being around a bunch of guys. I don't mind. I don't care. I actually wasn't there when all the ladies were there. I think it would have been fun, but I wasn't there. I was out of town.


WM: You seem to be very busy these days. I do juggle the music, the fashion world, the TV show, a boyfriend, and have time to do movies?

Eve: It's all in the schedule. Honestly, it's all good scheduling. Thankfully I have, especially with the TV show, hiatus weeks and on some weekends, I'm able to go away.


WM: Do you fit your boyfriend within certain hours?

Eve: Honestly, we do live like that. Unfortunately, he has his own thing going on. He has own business. He does his own so we look at the calendar and figure out with week is good. It works for us and maybe it will get better.


WM: Do we expect to hear you musically any time soon?

Eve: I'm going into the studio in the summer and put out an album in the fall.


WM: Which is more important to you, music or acting?

Eve: Music is number one, but I love acting. It's just different. I love them both. One is not exceeding the other.


WM: How's the fashion world treating you? I hear you have your own line of clothes?

Eve: It's going really well. The clothing line is doing really good. I would say about 2 or 3 years ago, I was approached by investors and people who thought I should have a clothing line before I thought I should have a clothing line. I was like, "I don't know" and and we started talking about it. I was then like, "Since I wear everyone's else's stuff. I might as well something with my name on it." It took a long time to get to this point. Just the right kind of investors and the right kind of money, and people who make the line the way I wanted it to be made such as fabrics and quality, took some time.


WM: I hear you're don't like to see yourself on screen.

Eve: Very uncomfortable. With the last film, I saw it three times before the premiere. This time I watched it at the premiere and my stomach was getting to me. It's very uncomfortable, especially in front of a lot of people.


WM: Were you comfortable shooting around many guys on the set?

Eve: While we were doing the kissing scene, we were worried about if the scene looked good. That was tough.


WM: I hear you were at Sundance cause you have a film, The Woodsman, that's competing there. What's it like to be there?

Eve: It was definitely different, but it was also fun because I got to play this woman who is noisy and she had to figure out who this man was. I had to wear a dark black wig and dark makeup and it was a different kind of energy because the film was so dark.


WM: What's the film about?

Eve: The movie is called The Woodsman and Kevin Bacon is in it as well as Kyra Sedgwick and he plays this pedophile. It's about this pedophile who comes out into this world and is trying to get his life together, but I blow the lid of it at the job and mess it up. I was noisy.


WM: Is there any part of Barbershop 2 that didn't make the cut and will be seen on the DVD?

Eve: I don't know but I'm quite sure there will be. There are a couple of scenes that I didn't see in the movie. They are all going to be funny.


WM: Is there any particular scene you enjoyed that you look forward to audiences seeing it?

Eve: There was this one scene where I'm doing Tai-chi on the beach and you see me struggling cause I don't want to be in this class cause I now have feelings for Ricky. That was a good scene.  


WM: Were you nervous during the kissing scene with Michael Ealy?

Eve: I was very nervous about the kissing scene because it was my very first on-screen kissing scene. I was scared to kiss. I was like, "My god, I've done this before. Why am I so scared?"


WM: Why do rap artists make better actors than pop stars?

Eve: I don't know. I honestly couldn't say.


WM: The director says that you have the fire to be in this business. Where does that come from?

Eve: I think there are some people who do it because they can and because they really want to do it. I'm one of those people and I have an acting coach and I really love acting. It's a different artistic outlet from my music. It's fun to be able to become someone else and believe it and have other people believe it. It's fun to say words that you wouldn't normally say and be in situations that you normally wouldn't be in and just putting on a character. I love it.


WM: Is it the same when you do TV?

Eve: It's the same way. It's the same acting. I enjoy making films more than I enjoy being in the sitcom world but I love acting altogether.


WM: You didn't need to do TV, so why?

Eve: Stability. I was at a point where I was ready to be in one place. I had been traveling for 4 1Ž2 years. I was ready. I kept telling people to have a couch. Just come home and be home.


WM: What's the new album going to be like?

Eve: We haven't done anything yet but Dr. Dre is the executive producer and producing some things.


WM: Do you think your music has changed?

Eve: I've grown from the last album, especially from the first album, so I don't know what it's going to sound like. Dre is doing the tracks.


WM: What are your top 3 albums of all-time?

Eve: I've never really thought about it. There are artists that I look up to. I love Lauren Hill. "The Miseducation of Lauren Hill" is an incredible album. Hip-hop wise, I really love Outkast. They're just original. They are hip-hop. They are artists. I also love Reggae.


WM: How did you start off? Weren't you with Ruff Ryders in the beginning?

Eve: I was actually signed by Dre first and it didn't work out there and I was on Interscope. Ruff Ryders got signed by them and I moved over to them.


WM: What's the feeling like when you go from struggling trying to make it to being in the game?

Eve: For everybody, it's different. For me, I had friends who knew Dre. That was my first deal. The managers that I had at that time knew Dre's President at the company and I did an audition. Everything happened when it was supposed to. I was in every talent show and I was in every corner rapping with everybody that rapped. When it's supposed to happen, it will happen.


WM: What keeps you grounded?

Eve: God. I pray and have a lot of good people around me.


WM: What's next for you?

Eve: I have "The Woodsman" and "The Cookout" with Queen Latifah.

 

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