E !: After Princess Diaries, your resume will slow down and you will essentially only take on guest roles. What happened? Why did you step away from Hollywood?
EVD: At the time, we didn’t have Netflix and all of these advanced options with thousands and thousands of roles. I would literally go without roles for an extended period of time that would fit the bill. I mean, you’re either in the top half percent and doing very well or … it’s just very competitive.
Since I was a child I wanted to have a big family. And in Los Angeles, that requires a consistent, realistic income. The moody nature of acting as an actor just wasn’t consistent enough for me. Fortunately, at the same time that acting slowed down in my early twenties, I had another opportunity with a company I worked with at the age of 25. And I’ve been with this company ever since. It is a sales position with a company that operates in the financial sector. I grew up to a leadership position and it worked out really well.
E !: Do you miss acting? Do you ever look at Anne Hathaway and think I wish I was?
EVD: Absolutely. There is definitely a touch of it, but at the same time it has other benefits, like being able to live a public life. I mean, when you get that notoriety, your life will take a whole new turn. On the one hand, it would be great if my career followed a path similar to that of someone like Anne Hathaway and I got into this caliber. At the same time, I’m lucky that my alternative career has worked out really well.
