*Two decades after claiming the title on cycle 3 of “America’s Next Top Model,” Eva Marcille is reflecting on the milestones that have shaped her career.
The 41-year-old, who was previously known as Eva Pigford, explained that winning the show was only the beginning of her professional growth. “A lot of people from Top Model didn’t realize becoming famed doesn’t mean that you now have a career,” she told Us Weekly.
Marcille emphasized that building a sustainable career required perseverance and hard work. She described paying her dues “on the back end,” noting that success didn’t come automatically, even after earning national recognition. To avoid prejudgment at auditions, she legally changed her last name to Marcille, although she acknowledged that bias still exists: “I’m prejudged in everything I do, and so I am not going to hang my hat on Tyra…”
Despite the challenges, Marcille expressed appreciation for Tyra Banks’ role in launching her career. “Tyra did us — did me — a service, and helped me a lot. And I’m very appreciative of her,” she said. Marcille has also watched the Netflix documentary “Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model,” which revisits the show’s legacy through interviews with former contestants, judges, and Banks herself.
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While some past participants have been critical of Banks, Marcille offered empathy for the fashion icon: “I feel for Tyra. I truly do, because this is the day and age where we gaslight and we blackball and we cancel. I don’t think she deserves that.”
Marcille also highlighted the ongoing challenges of the modeling and entertainment industry. “The industry is difficult because it is difficult — period,” she said, emphasizing that her perseverance and hard work have defined her professional path. She added, “I walk into a room, and I am known as Eva — not the model girl, not the this and not the that, and not because it wasn’t hard. It was very difficult to pay my dues.”
Check out what Eva Marcille had to say about changing her name to model in the clip below.
MORE NEWS ON EURWEB.COM: ANTM Star Eva Marcille Reveals ‘Amazingly Horrified’ Reaction to Netflix’s Docuseries on Tyra Banks Controversies | WATCH
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