Alice Eve is a currently starring in Cult Killer, opposite Antonio Banderas and Shelley Hennig. Her first major film roles were in Starter for 10 opposite James McAvoy and Big Nothing alongside David Schwimmer and Simon Pegg and she gained wide critical acclaim in the United States for her breakout role opposite Jay Baruchel in the 2010 comedy She’s Out of My League. She has subsequently starred in major franchise hits such as Sex and the City 2, Men in Black 3, Star Trek Into Darkness and Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb. In 2014, Eve starred opposite Chris Evans in his directorial debut Before We Go. On TV, Alice had a recurring role on Entourage, as Sophia, a journalist and love interest to leading man Vincent Chase (played by Adrien Grenier), and she starred in the Marvel series Iron Fist and appeared opposite Bryce Dallas Howard in the Black Mirror episode “Nosedive.” Most recently, she starred in The Lovers for Sky Atlantic Television and the feature film Freelance, opposite John Cena and Alison Brie.
Three Great Things is Talkhouse’s series in which artists tell us about three things they absolutely love. To mark the current release in theaters of Cult Killer, the new thriller starring Alice Eve, Shelley Hennig and Antonio Banderas, fan-favorite British actress Eve shared some of the things she loves most in life. — N.D.
Riding a Lime Bike
In London, we have Lime Bikes, which are potentially dangerous but allow you to go around London really, really fast. When I’m riding a Lime Bike, I feel like I’m a hero, or an eight-year-old. They give me a sense of freedom that genuinely makes me happy. And when you get to where you need to go, you just dump the bike – or if you’re me, you leave it nicely on the side of the road in the allocated space, like a good Englishwoman – so you don’t have to worry about, “Oh my God, my bike’s going to get stolen.”
I have a car and London is also very well served by buses and the Tube, but there are certain places and certain journeys where taking a Lime Bike is just the right choice. For example, I went to Vauxhall the other day and I just jumped on a Lime Bike and rode in the bike lanes with a handful of other bikers. I felt like I was part of this group of efficient, capable people. And I don’t really feel like that kind of person at all, otherwise, but when I go really fast and move around London in these allocated lanes, it’s just extremely electrifying.
I don’t wear a helmet, so there is a deep, great fear around that, but I have a rebel spirit and live on the edge! Growing up, I rode my bike a lot and felt a need for speed, as I am competitive and wanted to be faster than my two brothers. It was like, who’s the fastest, who’s the best, who can do the most? In my tomboy childhood, it was about keeping up with the lads. Now I am competitive in a Darwinian way, in a fight-for-survival way, but I’m totally humble on the streets, where I’m probably the worst biker. I do not take pride in my bike riding, I just want the feeling of the wind in my hair, so the slightly innocent nature of a speedy bicycle suits me perfectly.
My Bed
I don’t think what I’m about to reveal is a good advertisement for myself, but it is the actual truth: I love my bed. I really love it. I have a really thick mattress topper, I have specialized anti-allergy bedding because I have allergies, I am very specific about my sheets and my pillows, and I like to be in my bed whether I’m sleeping or not. I just like to be in my bed!
Actors clearly have one of the best jobs in the world, so I’m absolutely not complaining, but when I’m working, I am sometimes on my feet for 14 to 18 hours a day. For that reason, bed becomes this hallowed place in my head that I can spend up to six hours thinking about, meaning that at 4 p.m. I could already be imagining the feeling of my sheets. My bed has become a place of legacy in my head. It was made for me bespoke by my mom’s old builder and the mattress is very thick and made in Canada (where they make the best mattresses, in case you’re interested). My bed is just a place of profound repose.
I’m a Cancer moon and a Cancer rising, so the idea of being cocooned at nighttime is definitely part of my nature. When I was really young, I had this little blanket that had a silk seam, and it was called my “feely.” I used to just like to feel it and it would give me a deep sense of comfort, so blankets and coziness and cocooning have definitely always been a thing for me.
Phoebe Philo
Phoebe Philo is a very important female designer because she designs clothes that women like to wear. She started her own line in November 2023. She previously worked under Stella McCartney at Chloe, then she went to Celine, where she revolutionized the company, and now she’s got her own brand.
Right now I’m wearing Phoebe Philo shoes. Please forgive me for repeating this, but one of my friends recently said that these shoes are “cunty,” because they are incredibly high, but they are also incredibly comfortable. I’ve moved on to focusing on my Phoebe Philo shoes because these shoes feel like a bed for my feet, and I’m also a little embarrassed about how much I just talked about my bed!
I really love Phoebe Philo because – as much as I resisted this reality in my tomboy youth – clothes are a language. You have to present yourself to people in life, and clothes are part of how we communicate. For me, wearing clothes that are sexy is not a priority, but wearing clothes that make me feel feminine is. Phoebe Philo makes clothes that don’t inhibit any movement, but you still feel feminine, you still feel alive. It’s almost like a uniform that allows you to feel powerful and feminine, but also comfortable. And that’s really rare.
