Playing Dead for Laughs
Longoria Parker Gives Up the Ghost in Over Her Dead Body

Sometimes starring in a hit television program like “Desperate Housewives” just isn’t enough. For Eva Longoria Parker, working a grueling schedule for ABC wasn’t going to stop her from headlining the New Line’s supernatural romantic comedy Over Her Dead Body, even if both projects happened to be filming at the very same time.

Eva Longoria Parker in New Line Cinemas' Over Her Dead Body

“I love Jeff Lowell,” says Longoria Parker without a hint of condescension. “I think he’s a really great writer and when he sent me his script I thought to myself that this was my kind of humor, my kind of pace, and I just loved the [idea] of playing a ghost. I thought it was going to be fun.”

Still, a seven day work week on two different sets had to be exhausting. “Yes,” chuckles the actress heartily. “It was. It definitely was. But totally worth it. I really don’t mind the work and I like to jump on opportunities as they come in front of me, and this was a [great] one to do a feature film.”

Sitting at my desk chatting with the Golden Globe nominee (and newlywed wife of superstar San Antonio Spur basketball player Tony Parker) over the phone, I couldn’t help but be smitten with the woman right from the start. Our too-brief conversation was light, friendly and invigorating, and after speaking with Longoria Parker I found myself almost wondering how a woman this nice continues to work in Hollywood.

“Thank you,” she states with a slightly embarrassed sigh. “That means a lot. I consider these conversations to be part of the job, and I have a pretty strong work ethic. If I’m going to do something, I want to make sure I do it right.”

Considering just how friendly the actress is, it’s almost surprising just how completely she’s able to throw herself inside a woman like Kate. She’s the phantom menace of this tale, a ghostly specter doing all she can to destroy the burgeoning romance between her distraught former fiancé Henry (Paul Rudd) and the bubbly psychic Ashley (Lake Bell) quickly falling for him.

Lake Bell, Eva Longoria Parker and Paul Rudd in New Line Cinemas' Over Her Dead Body

As silly as this Ghost meets Topper meets Beetlejuice scenario sounds, I can’t help but see a few parallels to Longoria Parker’s life. Being a high profile celebrity does not come without its pitfalls, the constant intrusion of paparazzi into both her and her husband’s personal time something she’s had to learn to endure. All of which makes me wonder, did the actress channel any of this real world angst into her portrayal of Kate’s constantly smothering surveillance of Ashley?

“That’s funny,” she laughs. “You’re kind of right, though. I mean, she’s watching [Ashley] in the shower. She’s watching her walk down the street. She’s watching her every moment. It’s definitely that kind of comedy where the situations are kind of heightened, and I’m sure Ashley starts to feel – like I do in my life – that you’re constantly watched. Granted, for me it’s not by ghosts it’s by paparazzi, but I can definitely see the comparison.”

Moving on (and not wanting to waste time), I ask her about the differences between shooting her hit television show and making a feature film, especially considering the improvisational backgrounds of costars Rudd and American Pie stalwart Jason Biggs. “I’m so used to ‘Desperate Housewives,’ we’re such a well-oiled machine,” answers Longoria Parker. “It’s just fast fast fast fast and you never have time to go to your trailer. It’s just change, go, read, learn, rewrite, read, learn, change, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot. It’s great, but it can also be a little bit of a grind.”

“So, the days I had on the movie were a lot slower because we actually got to rehearse the scenes, and discuss the scenes, and improve, and adlib, stuff like that. We were also lucky we had Jeffrey, our writer, also as our director. He was real open to changing dialogue, coming up with new lines, making it funnier. We were really lucky.”

Coming from television, Jeff Lowell has only one film, last year’s teen revenge comedy John Tucker Must Die, to his screenwriting resume before being handed the reigns on Over Her Dead Body, and even though they were friends Longoria Parker still had to have some trepidation working for a first-time director. “Not at all,” she states emphatically. “He’s great. [Jeff] is such an actor’s director which was really nice.”

“But, I love first-time directors. They’re kind of like learning their way and they are far more open to suggestions and to creativity. More open collaboration. Jeff was all this and more. He was wonderful.”

Eva Longoria Parker in MGM's Harsh Times

Considering her last two films, the Michael Douglas/Keifer Sutherland action-thriller The Sentinel and the Christian Bale inner city drama Harsh Times, were pretty gritty and tough, it had to be nice for the actress to return to her comedic roots and let it all hang loose on this. “Those were definitely very, very tense,” agrees Longoria Parker. “Very different kind of films. But, yes, actually yes, it was great working on this. It was great to be doing comedy. I like this movie because it is light, and it is twisted, and it is dark, and it is funny. It is a romantic comedy but kind of in an original way, and I loved that.”

“But, I like to pick different things. I picked The Sentinel because it was a bit of an action picture. I picked Harsh Times because it was a heavy drama. I picked this one because it was a light, fluffy comedy. Hopefully I’ll continue to have opportunities to do films in different genres, in different styles. That’s what I really want.”

Love them or a hate them, a person has to admit the woman has had great success in regards to her costars. Michael Douglas, Christian Bale, Keifer Sutherland, maybe the greatest female cast of actresses ever showcased together on network television, Longoria Parker has definitely had a good run. And where does Paul Rudd land on that list?

“Oh, I know!” she exclaims happily. “He’s up there! He’s definitely up there. And, even though we didn’t have many specific scenes together, to be in his presence and to [see] his comical genius was really something great. We keep saying we have to do a movie together where we actually talk. He’s just such an easy person to be around and to act off of.”

Paul Rudd in New Line Cinemas' Over Her Dead Body

On the flip side, if Kate and Henry hardly ever talk, the same cannot be said for the dead wannabe bride and the object of her venom Ashley. Longoria Parker and “Boston Legal” star Bell spend much of the film locking verbal horns, and the actress couldn’t be more pleased with the results. “She is going to be America’s new sweetheart,” she states matter-of-factly. “[Lake] is just great. And she and I had been friends for years before the movie, so it was nice to get a chance to work with her.”

“What’s even better is that she really is Ashley. She’s kooky, quirky, weird, spiritual, just a total walks-to-her-own-beat type of person in real life. I think she was perfect for this part and I think she’s going to be a very big star in the future.”

As our time together starts to come to an end, I ask the actress about her many charitable projects. Not only is she the national spokesperson for Padres Contra El Cancer, a non-profit organization committed to improving the quality of life for Latino children with cancer, she’s also a big supporter of the Special Olympics. In fact, she just founded her own non-profit organization, “Eva’s Heroes,” which provides an inclusive setting for individuals with developmental disabilities to interact, play and grow while also providing services to families such as counseling and parenting workshops.

“You know, the celebrity side is the worst part of being a working actor,” says Longoria Parker bluntly, “but it does allow me to bring a bigger platform to the charity work that I do. As for Eva’s Heroes, I started it in San Antonio as an after school program for special needs children. My older sister is intellectually disabled and my mother was a special education teacher so I was raised in this community my whole life. To be able to open up this center in this community was just so important to me and I’m so excited about it.”

Eva Longoria Parker and Paul Rudd in New Line Cinemas' Over Her Dead Body

As I’m being gently prodded to end my call, I can’t help but ask for any hints on where her television show is headed next. Even with the writer’s strike I’m almost positive she’s still going to have an answer for me, and considering how pleasant our conversation has been it’s almost a guarantee she’ll divulge a secret or two. “Ha, ha, ha,” she chortles wickedly. “I’m actually at home enjoying my time with my husband. It’s like being on vacation, which has been really nice.” 

“But I am very eager to get back. I want to jump back into working, and we’d been doing so well with season four [of ‘Housewives’] I’d love to get back to it. It’s been my favorite since the first one. I guess we’ll all find out together where it is going to happen next.”

Additional Links:

-  Over Her Dead Body Theatrical Trailer