Eva Wiseman
Observer Magazine
But it’s Eva’s delightfully frank approach to interviewing that has been one of the real finds of journalism, particularly in the last few years. Her interviews are among the most sought-after pieces of journalism in the Observer, where her unique mix of gentle humour, intelligence and empathy are a hallmark of her work. She approaches interviewees with curiosity and kindness, and they respond with openness.
Eva's interview with actor and national treasure Danny Dyer may well be the most entertaining broadsheet interview of the last year. Visiting Dyer at home to discuss his life, Eva found a man who was eccentric, fun and thoughtful on fame, class and politics (“I don’t know, darling, we’re so lost.”).
When Eva interviewed Crystal Hefner, Hugh Hefner’s final wife, about life in the Playboy mansion (“The walls started to close in on me”), it was widely picked up by other outlets, and the interview - with its shocking revelations - reached more than 1.3m readers, making it one of the best-read Observer stories of the year.
Earlier this year, Eva met with writer, director and actor, Miranda July, ahead of the publication of her book All Fours, and found a polymath in the midst of a transformation. July opened up about how through the process of writing the novel, it triggered a chain of events in her life - she left her marriage and went into an “ecstatic freefall” - a concept our readers really seems to have connected with.
Observer readers tend to respond to Eva’s pieces - after a weekend her inbox is heaving with people who want to share their own stories - and she is rapidly emerging as one of the most accomplished interviewers of her generation.