Home

Eva LaRue

What’s it like to be on the phone with a woman whose career is so Hollywood golden at the moment that even her voice outright shines? Well, I would’ve guessed, a bit intimidating. So, I was more than pleasantly surprised when the woman on the other end sounded like any number of my high-energy thirty-something gal pals. In under 12 seconds—no, make that eight—I knew this was going to be one of those chats I didn’t want to end.

As for the woman on the L.A.-side of the line? That would be Eva LaRue, All My Children alumna, two-time Daytime Emmy nominee, recurring guest on The George Lopez Show, Third Watch, and Hope and Faith. And, most notably of late, rising star as the DNA-savvy cold-case-solving Natalia Boa Vista on the crazy-successful CSI: Miami.

And how successful is crazy-successful anyway? Well, as Eva says: “The cast and crew had a huge party last week to celebrate that CSI: Miami is currently the most watched show in the world.” Okay, got it. That kind of successful.

Career highs aside, it is perhaps how Eva got where she is now—specifically, back home on the west coast—that is most impressive. In an industry wrought with uncertainty and dime-a-dozen actors longing for their big break, Eva left her steady over-a-decade relationship with AMC in the midst of a divorce, knowing where she needed to be: back home. The career? Well, she did what any woman bold enough to reinvent her life must: she took one giant leap of faith. And the net that appeared wasn’t just soft, it was golden.

MD: So, how happy are you to be back on the West Coast?
EL: I’d been living in New York for almost 13 years. And never had any intention of staying that long. I really missed my family. Now I’m here and ohhh, it’s amazing.

MD: So they actually film CSI: Miami in LA?
EL: They do. They film it at Manhattan Beach. Although the first and last two episodes of the season are typically filmed in Miami.

MD: Has the transition from daytime to primetime been a smooth one for you?
EL: Well, I have to say, it’s been great. It’s so much easier for me now. Working on a soap opera is by far the toughest thing I’ve ever done. The amount of dialogue… it’s brain taxing. You’re constantly studying. With CSI: Miami, I get my script about a week in advance, and oh, I just love, love, love this job. And we get three months off in the middle of it!

MD: So what are you working on throughout the summer?
EL: Well, this is an old house I live in and no one thought to put air conditioning in it. So things like that are on my to-do list!

MD: Well, I suppose air conditioning is important in LA! In addition to CSI, what else are you embarking on professionally?
I was in Vancouver for a month filming a movie with Lifetime that will air end-September, early-October. And I’m also one of the hosts on The Modern Girl’s Guide to Life with the Style Network.

MD: How does it feel to know you’re a regular on a Top Five series?
EL: Well last year, I was just getting my feet wet. And to be part of it was amazing. Now they’ve actually made me a full member of the cast. So I’ll be part of the actual CSI team, and not just on cold cases. I am so looking forward to it.

MD: This is the start of your second season?
EL: Yes.

MD: Your plan was to get back home, no matter what that took. Can you believe how well it’s all turned out?
EL: I could never have imagined this all working out so well. There’s a horrifying time for actors every year in L.A. known as “pilot season” from January to May, when all the networks put on their new shows for the year. First they get them cast, then they shoot them, and then you hope they get picked up. Probably only one in ten do. It’s a crazy rat race to get one of these pilots. You start to question everything. So for me, to get onto this show…Oh, it’s great.

MD: So you’re a happy woman?
EL: Yes! Once I made the decision to get back west to my family and my home, it all just fell into place. I had no job, I was recently divorced, I only had Kaya, my daughter. After all the pilot seasons I’ve gone through, and to land a role with this show. It’s been amazing.

MD: I understand you and Kaya have a new friend living with you?
EL: Our Schnoodle, Bingo. Kaya was missing her friends back east. And I really wanted her to have something that was a constant… Oh wait, someone’s at the back door… Look, on cue! It’s the Schnoodle! Come in, my friend.

MD: What was he doing? Head butting the door?
EL: Close. He was scratching to come in. Come on in, little buddy. We were just talking about you… So yes, I wanted her to feel like she had something that was hers, for this new house, for this new life.

MD: How did you come up with the name?
EL: Well, Kaya thought all dogs are named Bingo, because of the B-I-N-G-O song.

MD: Oh yeah, go to the dog park, they’re all called Bingo.
EL: Yeah, no kidding.

MD: Why do you think it’s important for Kaya to have a dog?
EL: I wanted her to learn responsibility. You know, she’s four, so she’s not out there cleaning up the poo. But she makes sure he has enough water because it’s hot this summer! In my house with no air conditioning!

MD: You’ve achieved a lot in one short lifetime. You sang at the White House when you were six, you’ve starred in soaps, guest starred in sitcoms, released a CD, have a regular gig on a hugely popular show. What’s next?
EL: Well, during my hiatus next year, I’d like to do a fun part in a feature. Ohhh, and really, I’d just love to have air conditioning.