Just two years ago, Texas-born Eva Longoria was a little-known actress whose biggest claim to fame was a role on The Young & the Restless. But getting cast as materialistic philanderer Gabrielle Solis on ABC’s breakout hit Desperate Housewives turned the former model into an overnight sensation, leading to magazine covers, endorsement deals and tabloid tales about her relationship with NBA star Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs. Recently Longoria made the leap to the big screen  as a gun-toting Secret Service agent in The Sentinel, in which she stars opposite Michael Douglas and Kiefer Sutherland. The smart, savvy sexpot recently sat down with reporters in Los Angeles to discuss sex, guns and her b-ball boyfriend.

When the opportunity came for you to star in your first movie, what criteria were you looking for?
I really wanted to pick something opposite of Desperate Housewives. I get to play a lot of colors with Gabrielle-- she's really funny and dramatic and big-- so it was really hard to pick a script that actually challenged me in a way that Desperate Housewives didn't. When I read The Sentinel I thought it was really clever, it keeps you on the edge of your seat, and it has Michael Douglas, Keifer Sutherland and Kim Basinger. And this character is a lot closer to who I am as a person.

How so?
I grew up a tomboy, so the action and athleticism of the role is more me. I've been shooting guns since I was five with my dad; we used to go target shooting all the time, so for me it was easy to do. I could really relate to Jill a lot more than I would ever relate to Gabrielle.

Were you required to do any kind of research?
Yeah, you have to be very specific because you want the audience to believe you. So they sent us documentaries on the Secret Service before we started, which was really fascinating. [We learned] where it originated and what the purpose is, then we went to training with Secret Service retirees and did tactical training, classroom training and firearms training.

Do you ever look at what you do for a living and think it's all a little weird?
Yeah, I think that every day. That's why I don't take anything seriously– critics, reviews, paparazzi, the public... I'm like, you guys, we're not curing cancer. We're acting! [Laughter]. It's a simple process, so I always think that what we do is silly. We're playing make-believe every day and getting paid.

Is that why you wanted to be an actress?
I think I just love pretending to be something else. It's fun to put yourself in someone else's shoes and make up all the choices that you think this person would make in these circumstances. It's a game, so I love the fact that I play. It's just like my boyfriend, Tony. I think what he does is silly, too. He plays basketball as a form of entertainment, so he's basically playing a game. Continued on page 2 »