In EA's latest James Bond game, James Bond 007: From Russia With Love, actress and former Entertainment Tonight hostess Maria Menounos plays Eva, the evil henchwoman for the villain Red Grant. But in real life, it's actually guys looking at Maria who are the ones with evil thoughts. Which is what we had when we met up with this confessed Dead Or Alive Ultimate addict at L.A.'s Roosevelt hotel to talk about the game … and other evil things.



GameSpy: What got you interested in playing the role of Eva for James Bond 007: From Russia With Love?
Maria Menounos: To be honest, I never thought about doing a video game before. But when Electronic Arts approached me, it was all just right. To be a Bond girl next to Sean Connery was really exciting. I had also never done any voiceover work before, but it was something I was eager to learn.
GameSpy: Did the fact that she's a bad girl make the role more or less appealing to you?
Maria Menounos: I wouldn't say it really made much of a difference. It was fun, it was a lot of fun to play her, but it wasn't a deal breaker.
GameSpy: Are you bummed out that she doesn't have a pun-y name like Pussy Galore, Dr. Holly Goodhead, or Alotta Fagina?
Maria Menounos: It didn't bother me at all. It looks like it bothered you, though.
GameSpy: A little, but then I couldn't really come up with one that was any good. All I came up with was Eva Haveathreesome, Eva Loveyoulongtimeagoria, and Eva Ifyouwerethelastmanonearth.
Maria Menounos: Ha! No, I think Eva is a cool name for her.

GameSpy: You're of Greek descent. Is Eva?
Maria Menounos: Eva doesn't exactly have an origin that we name. Though I did give her an accent, a Greek-Russian kind of hybrid, because I didn't want anyone to be able to place her.
GameSpy: Does she speak any Greek in the game?
Maria Menounos: No.
GameSpy: If she did, how would she say, "No Mr. Bond … I expect you to die." in Greek?
Maria Menounos: "Ohi, kirie Bond ... thelo na pethanis."
GameSpy: Unlike some actors who appear in video games, you're not just doing your character's voice, they're modeling your character after you as well. Did this make you want to do this more or less?
Maria Menounos: No because the character actually grew from what I originally agreed to. Originally, I was just going to do her voice, but when I came in with my idea for an accent, they really liked it and starting expanding the character. So then we did the face recognition stuff, we got the costume and a gun, and filmed the opening sequence.
GameSpy: What did you think of the outfit you had to wear? Would you ever wear something like that in real life?
Maria Menounos: I never thought I'd wear something fully skin tight like that. It was a little awkward because I was up on this little stage, by myself, and there were like fifty sets of eyes on me. But then I got into character and pretended no one was there, and it was okay.
GameSpy: Did you ask if you could keep it? Maria Menounos: No, I didn't. I should have. (Looks over at the game's publicist, sitting nearby.) But maybe it'll just mysteriously show up one day.