Words by DeWayne Rogers
Photos by Kawai Matthews for Steed Media Service
While watching television a few days ago, I casually flipped past a commercial that made me stop in my tracks. The commercial promoted the new season of Oxygen’s “Hair Battle Spectacular” — a show that up until that point, I had previously been unaware of (you know, man law and all). But there was something about the advertisement that drew me in … it was the host.
For this season of the show, producers decided to reach into their bag of tricks, and pull out stunning supermodel Eva Marcille to act as the show’s host. Consider me instantly intrigued.
It seems like a lifetime ago when Marcille first exploded on the scene as the season three winner of “America’s Top Model.” But years later, she has blossomed into a working actor, a socialite, and now a television host. Not a bad life trajectory.
As fate would have it, I received a call the following morning asking me to interview Marcille for her show. Now that’s what I call divine intervention. The interview and cover shoot took place at The Notion Studio in downtown Los Angeles, and provided the perfect backdrop for what we’ve come to expect from Marcille after all of these years …
It was breathtaking.
From her countenance, to the clothes and photos compliments of Kawai Matthews, everything about our shoot with Marcille validated why Tyra Banks made her a “Top Model” winner, and why Oxygen has tied the success of their show to her.
And with that, I hope you enjoy our Eva Marcille exclusive. Just think, this all started with me watching a television commercial.
Tell us about your new gig as a television show host.
I am the new host of Oxygen’s “Hair Battle Spectacular.” This show is just a boatload of fun. It’s about hair, glamour, fashion … it’s about everything extravagant, but it mainly focuses on hair. Derek J is our reigning fantasy hair king-queen, and he’s our judge, along with Taylor Jacobson, who is a fashion stylist to the stars. Her job is to critique the fashion to make sure that it is cohesive with the hair. So, I am the glue that keeps it all together.
Did you always know that you had the chops to be a host?
I can’t really say that, because hosting is a different thing altogether. There’s no real training for hosting. I was a speech major in college, so maybe that helped me, but I really didn’t expect to do anything in the hosting world. But here I am.
How is the preparation process for hosting different from that of acting or modeling?
When it comes to hosting, your lines are definitely different from acting. For starters, your lines could change at any minute, and you always have someone in your ear. For me, I call him “my god” and he sits in the control room, and tells me what he wants blow-by-blow. That never happens in acting. There’s no one in your ear as your conscience, so it’s extremely different.
Let’s get personal for a moment. Describe how celebrity has affected your life, both positively and negatively.
Celebrity has affected my life both in good and bad ways. One of the good ways is that I get to do what I want to do for a living. Only 3 percent of Americans actually do what they want to do for a living — and I am one of them, so I consider that to be a huge blessing. And through my celebrity, I am able to help so many people. Just by coming to certain events, or showing up at different boys or girls clubs, I can impact huge change with just a little effort on my part. The bad part … well, there’s really no personal life. Whoever I’m dating, you guys want to know, scrutinize, and compare him to the last. So because of that, my personal life sucks as a celebrity, but everything else is awesome.
Do you pay attention to the public’s perception of you?
I would be a liar if I said that I didn’t pay attention to what people say … but I don’t live and breath off of what people say. I’m a role model, so I want to know how I affect people — good, bad or indifferent.But by the same token, things like, I have to stay this same size, or my hair has to be a certain way, or this is the new trend, I don’t really pay attention to. I go by my own instincts and try to be a leader in that category.
Speaking of public perception, what do you think the public thinks of you?
Well hopefully, their perception of me is that I’m a nice person. But beyond that, I would think they know that I’m a hard worker. I got into this business 8 to 10 years ago, and I haven’t left. I’ve figured out how to keep myself afloat, and I’m diligent … I’m a really hard worker. I hope that’s what the public knows about me.
Is celebrity all that you thought it would be?
Well, people can tell you that your life will change once you become a celebrity, but you really won’t know until it happens. For example, “Hair Battle Spectacular” is really making it real for me. After I shot everything, and the promos started going out, and I started seeing myself on TV and on billboards, it really became a surreal experience for me. It’s like that every single day, so it’s not really something that you can ever get used to.
Do you ever want to turn off the cameras and go back to a regular life?
This is my regular life. I’ve been doing this since I was 18, and I’ll be 27 this year. So I consider this to be regular … what we’re doing right now is a regular day, and I love it.
What does a normal day for you consist of?
A regular day can consists of a million things. It can consist of a photos shoot, or interviews … it could be flights, fashion shows, guest starring on TV or auditions. So I never really know where my day is going to take me, I just have to be prepared for anything.
You come across as someone who has it together. Do you ever have moments where you let your guard down, and show your vulnerable side?
I think it’s cool that you think I have it together [laughs]. I try my best to keep it together, but I don’t think that anyone has it totally together. I know what I want, and I know where I come from, so I have a great idea about where I’m going. What God has in store for me in the future, I don’t know, but I know it’s going to be great because I’m ready. When preparation meets opportunity that’s success.
How do you deal with the weak and vulnerable moments?
First off, I call my mom. And I also have a cousin [Terrell Mullin] that works in this industry, and I’m fortunate to have him. He gets it, so whenever I’m sad about an audition, or something happens with a casting director, he understands what I’m going through because he’s been down this road before. So I’m fortunate to have people in my life who are real, who support me, and who understand exactly what it is that I go through.
Watch “Hair Battle Spectacular” every Monday at 10 p.m.
on Oxygen.
