At just 25, Philly-born Eve Jihan Jeffers is the go-to homegirl for all your entertainment needs. She stars in her own self-titled TV show, has recorded three chart-topping hip-hop albums, and last year launched her own clothing line, Fetish. Last month she reprised the role of feisty Terri in Barbershop 2: Back in Business and this winter will star opposite Kevin Bacon in The Woodsman. Her role was originally written for a middle-aged White woman. “It’s a good part for me,” Eve says, laughing. “I get to play a bitch.” The résumé’s impressive. But if you want things to get interesting, you have to ask Eve about the good stuff: men, relationships and weird sexual predilections. C’mon, Eve, it’s just us girls. Let’s really talk.
JEANNINE AMBER: Have you ever dated a guy with a fetish?
EVE: I was with a man who had a foot fetish and a guy who liked to role-play. (Looking at the tape recorder) Oh, I don’t know if I should say this! My mother’s going to read it.
JEANNINE: Hmmm, you seem very open-minded. What kind of teenager were you?
EVE: I got punished a lot. I got in trouble for cutting school, staying out late, lying about detention and lying about homework. I hated high school. I always knew there was something else.
JEANNINE: Are you dating anyone now?
EVE: Yes. I met him in Los Angeles, but he’s from another country. It’s so weird because I haven’t been in a relationship for two years, and my last one was so crazy! So I’m moving like a snail right now. I need to be able to breathe, focus, take my time and figure things out. We’ve been together six months, but only for the last two weeks have I been able to say “boyfriend.” When I said it, my girlfriend was like, “You said it! You said it!”
JEANNINE: Does he have an accent?
EVE: Yes. He speaks three languages and he’s a businessman. But he’s not in the entertainment industry, which I love.
JEANNINE: And he’s a brother?
EVE: Yep.
JEANNINE: Does he have a brother?
EVE: You know! Believe me, I am so happy. It’s good. He’s not talking to me about beefs between rappers or the next track I’m gonna do. He talks about my work as far as business goes, but it’s interesting.
JEANNINE: I understand that before you had a record deal you worked as a stripper. Does it take a lot of courage to take off your clothes like that?
EVE: It takes a lot of drinks.
JEANNINE: Do you regret it?
EVE: I don’t. I only did it for a little while, but that helped me realize that this was not where I was supposed to be. This was not my life. I did it because I was trying to be grown. That was my rebellion. I was out of high school and I needed money. That was it. There were girls there who enjoyed it, though. Then there were girls who had to do it because they had kids. Some girls were so strung out on drugs they didn’t know what they were doing. I just pray to God I never have to go back to that. Ever.