'I prefer guns to sexy lingerie'

Sep 6 2006

SULTRY Eva Longoria has swapped her femme fatale Desperate Housewives persona to play a secret service agent in new film The Sentinel.

She tells EILEEN CONDON why she thinks she's an ugly duckling.

She's everyone's favourite telly vamp thanks to her role as seductress Gabrielle Solis in the hugely popular Desperate Housewives. But offscreen, actress Eva Longoria reckons she couldn't be less desperate than her glamorous alter ego.

"I'm a tomboy and I love shooting guns and running around," smiles the petite star. "I prefer that any day to getting dressed up and putting on sexy lingerie."

And though she recently landed a million-dollar contract as the face of cosmetics company L'Oreal, the modest star insists she's more ugly duckling than beautiful swan.

"I was the only one of my family's four girls with dark hair, dark eyes and dark skin," she explains. "I was the odd one out. I'm still of the opinion that I'm not the kind of girl who gets that much attention. I don't think I stand out much and I don't fit the classic sex symbol mode. I keep seeing myself on these sexiest women lists and it's kind of flattering, but I don't believe it."

Whether she believes it or not, there's no getting away from the fact that life is currently pretty sweet for the 31-year-old star. The success of Desperate Housewives has made her one of Hollywood's most in-demand actresses, and with two back to back films - Harsh Times and the soon to be released The Sentinel - her movie career is shaping up to be just as hot. Not surprisingly, Texan-born Eva is still pinching herself.

"It's all been overwhelming," she beams. "A rollercoaster of ups and it's almost like I can't keep up with the good news."

She's not taking any of it for granted either. It wasn't that long ago her career looked to be washed up when she was written out of the popular US TV soap The Young and the Restless. Now though, she can afford to shrug off the episode.

"It wasn't my intention to stay on that show forever," she reasons. "I always wanted to move on to films or a primetime TV series and I do think everything happens for a reason.

"Everything I've done in the past has built my character and all the rejections have been a bonus for me. Eva Mendes and I met at the audition of Spanglish and we both didn't get it.

"Then I ran into her a year or two later and she said 'Isn't it funny that if I had gotten Spanglish I couldn't have done Hitch', and if I had done Spanglish I wouldn't have got Desperate Housewives. So, everything is for a reason."

Even so, Eva confesses she's constantly surprised by just how big Desperate Housewives has become. "I don't think any of us realised it was going to be a phenomenon," she says. "We were just excited that the show was picked up for our second year.

"We thought 'well, we're going to have jobs for a while.' So we're all surprised at the obsession with it and the enormity that it became."

But while she's clearly relishing the show's success, Eva admits the main reason she took on her latest role in The Sentinel is because her character was the complete opposite of man-hungry Gabrielle.

In the film she plays Jill Marin, a US Secret Service agent tracking down Michael Douglas who has been framed as a would-be assassin. The role meant Eva had to swap her high heels for more sober garb, but she was more than happy to ditch her sexy image.

"It was fun to put the earpiece in, to speak in our wrists. Everybody wants to have the Men In Black suit and we got to do that," she smiles. "I wanted to do something completely opposite to Gabrielle and I found it in Jill Marin. She's a lot closer to who I am as a person. She's a tomboy too, so to do this film was like a vacation for me."

The actress has Hollywood veteran Michael Douglas to thank for her role after he called her personally to persuade her to work with him.

"He told me, you've got to do this movie. I've seen your work. I know you are deeper than Desperate Housewives," she smiles.

"He knew I was from Texas and a tomboy and what I found out about him is that he's such a kind and sweet person and so dedicated to his family. I got to know Catherine, his wife, really well. We all bonded -they're so happy together.

"For me they're kind of my dream couple in terms of really having it together."

Eva isn't doing too bad on the domestic front herself. She's been with basketball player Tony Parker for two years.

"This is by far the best relationship I've ever had with any man. Tony is just a great guy," she beams.

EVA LONGORIA factfile

Real name: Eva Jacqueline Longoria

Birthdate: March 15, 1975

Significant other: Basketball player Tony Parker

Career high: Being a far from Desperate Housewife

Career low: Being written out of US TV soap The Young and The Restless

Famous for: Outshining Jennifer Lopez as the most popular Latino actress in Hollywood

Words of wisdom: "I'm like Blanche on The Golden Girls. I have a good head on my shoulders, but once in a while a man will come and knock the sense out of me."