IN CONVERSATION WITH EVA DE DOMINICI

Interview by JANA LETONJA

Argentine model and actress Eva De Dominici most recently starred in comedy drama ‘The Uninvited’, that premiered at SXSW on 11th March. She is also reprising her role in Fox’s series ‘The Cleaning Lady’, which returned for its third season on 5th March.

Eva, you’re starring in the comedy drama ‘The Uninvited’, that follows a stranger interrupting a party, provoking a comedy of errors, deep reckonings and a reordering of life. Tell us about your character.

Delia is an emerging actress that is the center of the attention at this Hollywood Hills party because she’s the lead of the movie they’re celebrating. She’s dating Gerald, the director of this movie, who is so into her. He is an older man who offers her safety, stability and access to a world she’s extremely attracted to. In reality, she is in love with another guest of the party, her lover and co-star Lucien, who has nothing to offer her, a man who always runs away and can’t commit, the opposite than Gerald. Behind this confident woman who’s having her moment and is a little over excited about this new Hollywood lifestyle, there’s also an insecure girl who’s dealing with inner conflicts and comes to the party having to solve an urgent matter she’s having a hard time about. 

What was it like working with such an incredible cast?

I remember the day I received the offer, I had to read it twice to belie e it. It was pretty incredible that Nadia was offering me this part without auditioning for it. She later told me that she was passing photos of girls the agencies had sent to her and when she stopped at mine, something told her Delia was me. Then they showed her a reel with my work and she enjoyed it. I was in production of the first season of ‘The Cleaning Lady’ at the time. I had seen previous works of every actor from the movie and I couldn’t believe I was going be part of this amazing cast, so I tried to learn from them as much as I could. 

‘The Uninvited’ set was 15 minutes away from my house in LA and I would drive through the hills on my way to set listening to different tango songs like ‘Como dos extraños’ or ‘Vuelvo al Sur’, combining the hills of a city that had seduced me and the sounds of Argentina, an echo that I always hear in my head, my roots, my truth and inspiration to create most of the things I do. This movie took me there.

You also star on Fox’s series ‘The Cleaning Lady’, which just returned for its third season. Tell us how your character has evolved from season 1.

When I auditioned for ‘The Cleaning Lady’, Nadia was supposed to be a recurring guest star. But I always saw a lot of potential in Nadia, she had so many layers to explore, so I dedicated a lot of time in creating this woman. To me, she reminded me of Lady Macbeth. For the second season, they called me and offered to be a series regular.

Nadia is a woman who was born poor and had to survive. She doesn’t know of healthy relationships, but there’s an ambition in her that works as revenge. She wants to have control, she and her husband Arman used to make a good team in order to achieve a better status in the criminal world of Vegas. Unfortunately, the appearance of Thony, the cleaning lady, makes Arman feel confused about his feelings in a romantic aspect and he’s not able to make up his mind, which creates chaos because he would not let neither Nadia nor Thony go. Nadia lost control over him, which left her feeling lost and couldn’t find her place in the world anymore. 

What can the fans expect from this season and the story of your character, Nadia?

Instead of Nadia blaming Thony for all bad things in her life, the story takes a big turn and instead of being enemies, Nadia and Thony are going to create an alliance in order to find Arman, who went missing under unclear circumstances. They know they have something in common, they both love Arman and want him alive and safe. Nadia needs a friend, she’s so alone, feels she can’t trust anyone anymore and is devastated by the disappearance of Arman. She is now wealthy because she has inherited all of Kamdar’s assets. She feels completely lost, but feels she can find this friend maybe in Thony. Nadia is going to grow so much this season, there’s going to be a huge change in her.

This season is going to be dedicated to Adan Canto. He was such a great and generous scene partner and one of the reasons why my character grew so much. He would explain a lot of terms on set I wasn’t familiar with because of the language and would also encourage me to try new things while acting together. I think the studio, the showrunners and viewers could feel this chemistry and encouraged them to make the role grow. I’ll always be grateful for that and glad that I was able to thank him while we were working together.

The series filmed in New Mexico. What is your favorite memory from set?

I think the first scene I had to shoot for the pilot was so fun. The way the character was introduced, dressed in emerald lingerie, resting drunk on a messy bed full of feathers after a party she had organized at her boss’ house while she was supposed to take care of it and then tried to kiss Thony, was hilarious. I think it described the character in so many aspects. I was nervous because I was wearing this outfit that was super sexy in front of everyone on the first day and I didn’t know anyone there. It was an interesting way of breaking the ice. 

Before working on these Hollywood productions, you’ve acted in many Argentinian productions. Tell us about your career timeline.

I used to be a child actor. I started acting at the age of 9 in a play based on Strawberry Shortcake and then at 10, I booked my first Latin America Disney Channel project. We would dance and sing, and we would also do theater. In the following years, I continued doing that in different TV shows for kids. We would do tours in Latin America and it was a great experience. Then when I started to get older, I knew entertainment was my passion. I began working on TV and film projects in Argentina. One day, I came to LA on vacation and the owner of an apartment I rented mentioned the idea of working in the United States. I didn’t speak English at the time and it took me a couple of years to believe I could work on projects here, but one day I came back to LA to star in a campaign for an Italian underwear brand and then I booked a movie. I met a man who is now the father of my 4-year-old son and I decided to stay in LA and start a career here too.

Has acting always been a dream of yours?

Acting is all I ever wanted to do, since I can remember. It’s crazy, but I felt immediately attracted to this world. I would watch a TV show called ‘Chiquititas’, that was a hit. If you ask an Argentinian my age what ‘Chiquititas’ was, there’s no chance they don’t know it. It was everywhere. I would make my parents buy me tickets to go see them at the theater, but when I would go, there was a certain frustration because I didn’t want to be watching the show, but rather wanted to be part of it. I wanted my parents to see me dancing on that stage. I would learn all of the songs and choreography of the production. I insisted that my parents take me to the open auditions that were announced on TV and one time they did. And I booked it. I was 10 and never stopped. 

What’s next for you?

I’m travelling to Italy to shoot an American movie. It’s a comedy, in fact my first rom com. I will speak both English and Italian. I’m Italian Argentinian, but born and raised in Argentina, so I am excited as this is my first Italian role. It’s nice to return to the place my ancestors called home.

When you are not working, how do you like spending your free time?

I love spending time with my family. My son Cairo is my everything. We love spending time in nature and LA is a beautiful place to explore with a child. I take him to indoor playgrounds and piano classes. We also love to watch superhero cartoons and movies. He’s obsessed with superheroes and so I am. I also do transcendental meditation that has improved my wellbeing so much. I hike, read and watch movies a lot. Also, I work out with a friend at DogPound, a gym that has me extremely committed.

Other than that, my partner and I have a nice group of friends and we really enjoy dinners. Sometimes at some favorite restaurants we have and sometimes at friend’s houses or our home. I love organizing parties where I just play 80s music, it’s my favorite music to dance to. I’m grateful to have a beautiful community.

TEAM CREDITS:
talent EVA DE DOMINICI
photographer CAMRAFACE
stylist ALEXIS KOSSEL in collaboration with JULIE FURMAN
makeup YUKARI BUSH
hair DIEGO LAREZ
editor TIMI LETONJA
editorial director & interview JANA LETONJA
location @SunBeam_LA