SUPERVILLAIN in Marvel’s Iron Fist, a ratings-obsessed bride-to-be in the dystopian series Black Mirror, and a molecular biologist in cosmic saga Star Trek. The dramatic range of British actress Alice Eve knows no limits as she navigates the film industry, taking on more and more genres with each role. Daughter of actors Trevor Eve and Sharon Maughan, it is no surprise that Eve decided to take up acting herself. Guided by her parents, she decided that, for her, acting would always be an intrinsic part of her identity, despite any challenges that it throw up.
Alice Eve. Photograph: Nick Thompson
Spending her childhood between London and Los Angeles, Eve was very eager to start her acting career as soon as she left school. However, her father insisted she go on to university. Although studying English literature at Oxford gave her no particular advantage in her chosen career, she did appear in student drama productions and, even more importantly, learnt how to navigate a man’s world – a fundamental skill for a woman, especially in Hollywood.
Alice Eve. Photograph: Nick Thompson
Since her professional debut, Eve has appeared in countless productions, both in the UK and Hollywood. No stranger to historical dramas, earlier this year she appeared in new series Belgravia, created by the team behind Downton Abbey.Set in London’s classiest enclave during the Victorian era, Eve portrays a calculating social climber whose story is shrouded in secrecy. In essence, her role shows how women had to operate in a world dominated by class and patriarchy.
Going back to the beginning, you come from a family of very successful actors. Did this influence your decision to become an actress?
My parents have been my guides and my heroes, I couldn’t begin to separate what they have taught me from what I know – they are almost one in the same.
Did your studies at Oxford prepare you for any of your roles?
The fact I am fluent in Anglo Saxon is of no interest to Marvel. But having an education in any form is incredibly empowering and I am helped by the training it gave my brain – and the understanding of how to navigate the man’s world. I was devastated when they raised the price of university fees. I believe all children have a right to learn.
Alice Eve. Photograph: Nick Thompson
Was acting always your preferred career or did you perhaps consider another profession?
I think acting is a vocation. Which is to say if there was another job or another world that would make me happy to be in, I would be in it. By the same token, in order to be an actor, I don’t think you can harbour a secret desire to be something else. Sometimes on my Instagram I will see a quote that says, “you are not what you do”, but I am not sure that is true. For me, who I am and what I do have definite overlaps.
In Bombshell you play Ainsley Earhardt, a journalist who’s made quite a few politically and factually contentious claims during her time on Fox and Friends. What was your process of getting into Ainsley’s character and how did it feel playing her?
Blink and you will miss me in Bombshell, but I felt it was important to support that story. I tend to not be partisan when it comes to individuals. Nobody is right and nobody is wrong. It has been continually proven to us that we know nothing, yet people go on as if they know everything – all the time. Ainsley has some views I don’t hold, but I see she is navigating her own personal struggles, and I respect that. It was from there that I found the empathy to play her.
Alice Eve. Photograph: Nick Thompson
In Bombshell you were part of an absolutely stellar cast. Could you share one of your best moments on set?
The best moment was watching the monitor and thinking Meghan Kelly was on set and realising it was Charlize [Theron].
You starred in the historical period ITV drama Belgravia. Could you tell us a little bit more about your character and the series?
Susan Trenchard is a woman who is ahead of her time. She is smart and bored, a lethal combination. To quote Julian [Fellowes, whose novel the series in based on], “the only career available to a woman at that time was navigating society” and, boy, did she do that. It might have been nice if the medical profession were a little kinder to women and understood us more.
But we are making huge advances in that field, and increased knowledge of how women work cannot be underestimated. It will do a lot for how we move in the world.
Alice Eve. Photograph: Nick Thompson
In your career you’ve performed in a wide range of genres, including a fair share of period dramas. Is there anything that sets Belgravia apart from previous historical projects you’ve worked in?
Genres are a way of selling something but not a way of inhabiting something. Which is to say you don’t approach a character through the genre of the piece. However, this story is set in the 1840s, so there are things that have to be considered when imagining life in a different time.
It was pre-Freud but also pre-stiff upper lip. Feelings held sway. Queen Victoria wept when she learned she was to be queen. Life was shorter and women were meant to marry and raise their children.
So Susan’s particular predicament – which you can see in the show – was a serious one. I very much enjoyed the private war she was waging with her life and understanding the lengths we go to get what we want, even when we have less at our disposal to get it.
Is there any particular time period you would like to explore in your acting career or any particular historical role you would like to re-enact?
I have always wanted to play Cleopatra. When I can say the line “my salad days when I was green in judgement” without the twinge that I may still be green in judgement, I expect I will take her on.
Alice Eve. Photograph: Nick Thompson
Can you share with us any high points of your career so far and also any challenges you have faced?
The profession is beset with challenges and therein lies the joy. The high points all came early on – my first job, my first rehearsal, the first time somebody tells you that you entertained them. And then comes a sort of joy at getting to carry on, which I suppose extends not just to acting, but to life.
The theme of this issue of Glass is “Fresh”. What are your hopes and expectations for the next decade?
Fresh! Let’s hope we can have a fresh start on how we look at the world, maybe with a little hope.
by Lexi Fadina
Published in the Spring 2020 issue of Glass – Fresh
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