Natalie Zea Explains Why She Almost Didn't Star on La Brea
"I had never really considered this particular genre or this action hero kind of woman," the actress said.
Headed into Season 2 of NBC's time-traveling adventure drama La Brea (premiering Tuesday, September 27 at 9/8c), all eyes will be on Natalie Zea, who plays protagonist Eve Harris.
The actress saw Eve through a massive sinkhole to 10,000 B.C. and way too many life or death situations. But she also helped find the answer to many of the series' biggest mysteries—while also making room for new ones. Below, everything we know about Zea and what's next for her character in La Brea.
Who is Natalie Zea?
If you're a TV fan, chances are you've seen Zea on at least one of your favorite shows. She's starred in TBS' comedy The Detour, Showtime's White Famous alongside Jay Pharoah and Jamie Foxx, the acclaimed drama Justified, and CW's The Following with Kevin Bacon.
When reflecting on her career, Zea told Esquire in 2013, "When I started, I had a really hard time getting work. It was the mid- to late-nineties. There was the WB. My age was perfect for it, but I just never came across as a youngster. I had to grow into my age in order to start working, and by the time I did, it was when things started to get good."
As for her role as Eve Harris on La Brea, the actress recently revealed to Collider that she nearly didn't accept the part on the high-energy sci-fi drama.
"It wasn’t an immediate, yes," she said. "I had never really considered this particular genre, or this action hero kind of woman. I thought, after The Detour, I was just gonna keep doing comedy and I was going to retire in my 90s, being some sort of distiller. My husband pointed out to me that there’s a finite window for action and that he didn’t want me to feel as though I had missed out on something, and why not take this huge leap and go for it. So, I did, and I ended up in Australia for six months doing a lot of running and jumping and making these great friendships with my fellow castmates."
What's next for Zea's Eve on La Brea?
When fans last saw Eve on La Brea during the Season 1 finale, we saw her successfully usher Isiah (a.k.a. a younger version of her husband, Gavin) through the Topanga portal to 1988. But before she could celebrate too much, her son Josh, along with Riley and Lilly, were unexpectedly pulled into the portal, as well. Eve spent the entire season fighting to make sure her children and family were safe, but now that Josh has been transported into another time, our guess is she'll spend Season 2 fighting to get him back.
There's also the small love triangle she finds herself in with Gavin and his best friend and her lover, Levi. Yeah, it's complicated.