EVA DOMINICI
A few hours after getting on the plane that takes her back to her other home, in Los Angeles, Eva De Dominici feels a mixture of sensations: “Airports have become an emotional place since I live far away.
I am very familiar and I love being in Argentina.
It makes me nostalgic to travel the streets where I grew up and meet my affections again.
Every time I come to my land, the floor moves a lot.
But hey, this is part of the choices I was making ”, she says in a hotel room in Recoleta.
Since 2018, she has been living in the United States, where she co-stars in the series The Cleaning Lady, one of her first forays into the world of Hollywood.
Now she returned to Buenos Aires to promote her participation in Barrabrava, the new national production of Prime Video.
He grew up between Lanús and Villa Fiorito, with a dentist mother and a corrugated cardboard manufacturer father who were completely unaware of the artistic world.
At the age of 8, Eva urged them to study theater without imagining that some time later she would make her great debut in Chiquititas.
Since then, school days have been complemented by recording sets.
At 27, she already acted in The fragility of the bodies, Maradona, blessed dream, The last party and Cosmic Sin, a film in which she shared the cast with Bruce Willis.
As she packs her bags, she confesses that her partner, the musician Eduardo Cruz Sánchez (Penelope Cruz's brother), and her son, Cairo, who is about to turn 4, are waiting for her in the United States. the idea that her stay would be temporary, forming a family was her anchor to start a new life there.
COVER GIRL
ELLE DID YOU FANTASY ABOUT PERFORMING IN HOLLYWOOD?
EVA DE DOMINICI
It never crossed my mind to try my luck.
My arrival was more of a coincidence than anything else.
On vacation, in 2015, we had rented a house with my mom to celebrate my sister's 15th birthday.
The owner of the place told me that he had a friend who was opening his own agency to be an artist manager and he asked me if he could pass him my phone number.
It seemed strange to me, because I didn't even speak English.
But soon after, he called me to meet me and propose auditions.
WAS IT BEGINNER'S LUCK?
Yes, I was used to knocking on doors and doing a lot of casting.
I found it unusual that he contacted me without having looked for it.
People see the glamorous side of artists.
But the reality is that we have suffered a lot of rebounds in our careers.
The point is that the manager tells me that he did or did have to start studying English to get a role.
At first, I did not give him much of a ball and I went back to Argentina.
But in 2016, he suggested that I audition for a small movie with a prestigious director.
I was still very weak with the language, they asked me how tall I was and I didn't even know how to say it.
Despite that, the experience made me realize that it was not impossible to work there either.
So I put the batteries with the English.
HOW ARE YOUR DAYS THERE?
I lead a pretty normal life, I'm a working mother.
Now we are starting to film the third season of the series, but my priority is to take my son to school, accompany him in his activities and make plans with him.
If I have free time, I read and watch movies.
I have a group of friends, most of them Spanish, Argentine and Italian, with whom we share outings and meetings.
You always have to organize them in time.
I realized that Argentines are the most improvised.
In half an hour we can put together a barbecue or a coffee in the corner.
DID YOU GET USED TO THE DISTANCE?
It always cost me because I am attached to my affections.
Before, I carried a flash drive with photos and videos of my family everywhere.
My mom and sister live close to me, but when the pandemic hit I went over a year without seeing my dad and it seemed crazy to me.
I like to have a nomadic life.
Changing cities gives me adrenaline, although not knowing how long I won't see my family sensitizes me.
DID FORMING A FAMILY MAKE YOU PLANT A FLAG IN THE UNITED STATES?
Yes, my reality is not that of an immigrant who looked for the opportunity to succeed in Hollywood.
Beyond my career, I stayed because I chose to start a family.
Like Buenos Aires, today I feel that Los Angeles is my place of belonging.
HOW WAS YOUR STORY WITH EDUARDO?
We had passed each other once at the Nobu Japanese restaurant.
It had seemed like a colt to me, but at that moment nothing happened.
After a while, we met at a bar located on Sunset Boulevard and from there we didn't part anymore.
That's why that street is so important to us.
At the time I got pregnant.
IT WAS A CRUSH...
Yes, but apart from the famous love at first sight, we were both on the same page, the relationship flowed and happened naturally.
We were reconnected, we wanted to be boyfriends.
And I believe that this is how healthy bonds should be, whether in love, friendship or work.
As parents we make a great team.
For me, Edu is the best dad in the world.
WHAT IS PENÉLOPE CRUZ LIKE AS A SISTER-IN-LAW?
Beyond the talented actress that everyone knows, in private she is a genius, a warm and divine woman.
Edu's whole family is super cool, very cool.
They are always present.
I am grateful because they take great care of Cairo.
They are loving and affectionate.
And to me that means a lot.
WAS IT DIFFICULT BEING A MOTHER AWAY FROM YOUR SURROUNDINGS?
I lived it with a lot of sensations.
Although I had a wonderful medical team that accompanied me, after three and a half months they discovered that I had two genetic mutations and there were chances that the pregnancy would not reach term.
They had to do studies to check that everything was fine and during that month everything was uncertain.
When Cairo was born, I was the happiest woman in the world, but even so, various fears awoke.
I was sensitive, away from my family and I couldn't stop crying.
THERE ARE ISSUES OF MOTHERHOOD THAT ARE NOT AS ROMANTIC AS WE WERE MADE TO BELIEVE.
Exact.
At the time, it helped me share my experience with other women who were in it.
At first, my body ached, hormonally I was fatal and distraught.
Although each pregnancy is personal, there are issues that unite us all and that make you feel that you are not alone.
It's hard for me to understand that at school they teach about sexual reproduction and don't talk about the existence of postpartum depression.
I did not suffer from it, but it is good that there is more information so that women have tools to navigate it.
It was hard for me to ask for help.
I was accompanied, but I felt alone.
"Beyond my career, I stayed in Los Angeles because I chose to start a family"
HOW DO YOU DEFINE YOURSELF TODAY?
More planted, with integrity and determination.
In motherhood you go through different stages.
My son came to redefine my place, he generated a transforming bond.
I learned to better manage time and control my anxieties.
Cairo is a very lively and sweet baby.
Motherhood was a precious discovery.
He connects you with life and, on the other hand, he shoots you a lot of questions.
Sometimes I think about what will happen to my son's destiny, if I can always accompany him, I am aware that nothing ever happens to him.
DID THERAPY HELP YOU?
Very much.
I have an Argentine psychologist with whom we do virtual sessions and he gives me tools to control anxiety and fears.
In Los Angeles it's super rare to go to therapy.
Like any human being, you have days when you're fine and others when you feel down.
Therapy helped me get through those moments.
HAVE THEY MADE YOU DISTRUST YOUR IMAGE?
Yes, at the age of 16 I was left out of a fashion campaign and rumors started that it was because I had a few extra kilos.
I could not believe it.
I feel that a perfection that does not exist is required of us.
If we are skinny, they want us to be more.
If we have wrinkles, they want us to cover them up.
We grew up with a lot of pressures around the body.
For me, motherhood brought me stretch marks and changed my figure, but it also put me on the axis of what is important.
So, these mambos no longer keep me awake.
My advice is to study, because youth leaves at some point and only what you learned along the way remains.
IN LOS ANGELES IT IS FULL OF PAPARAZZI. DO YOU PRODUCE WHEN YOU GO OUT?
I once had my picture taken in slippers and a ski mask, going out to throw out the trash and a wet diaper.
Those things can happen to you, but the reality is that in addition to going to record, I usually run to fulfill the activities in Cairo.
For those moments, I choose to be comfortable.
When I go out I do like to produce myself.
WHAT ARE YOUR BEAUTY ROUTINES?
I'm not a fan of the gym, but now I'm working out because it's not only good for my body, but also for my head.
I drink a lot of water and try to follow a healthy diet, although there are weeks when I eat pizza every day.
I take care of my skin, I never sunbathe, I prefer to use natural self-tanners.
I take off my makeup every night and I never forget to put on creams.
If I have an event or a red carpet, I apply a nourishing mask.
DO YOU SURROUND YOURSELF WITH HOLLYWOOD ARTISTS?
I shared meals and meetings with super famous actors, but it is something that I have naturalized and it does not attract my attention.
I'm not cool.
I remember that once we were at an Oscar rehearsal and a man came up to me to congratulate me on the birth of Cairo.
He seemed loving to me.
When he leaves, Edu tells me: "You know who he is, don't you?"
He was Steven Spielberg.
I thought he was a journalist!
WHAT EARRINGS DO YOU WANT TO FULFILL THIS YEAR?
I would like to finish my degree in Italian.
I have to take an exam.
I hope I make it!
I am interested in the culture and cinema of that country.
I would like to work in an Italian film.
On the other hand, while I finish packing to return to Los Angeles, it comes to my mind that I was in Buenos Aires for a few days.
I'm leaving wanting to plan a longer trip with Edu and Cairo.
So I'm adding it to my to-do list.
I hope to get it done soon!
Photos: Martín Traynor/ Styling: Olivia Gonzalez Alzaga/ Makeup: Bettina Frúmboli/ Hair: Juan Manuel Cativa.