Ever Carradine

In what seemed like another lifetime for Ever Carradine, she was being stopped by girls in the video store, angry that she had stolen Julia's boyfriend. No, Ever is not a boyfriend-stealer, but the character she played on Party of Five kind of was. She worked at the motorcycle shop with Julia Salinger's (Neve Campbell) boyfriend, Griffin (played by Jeremy London). Griffin became interested in Rosalie (Ever's character), and the teenage girls were furious.

Luckily for Ever, all she had to suffer through were a few snide or angry remarks, so she got off fairly easy for messing with America's Sweetheart's boyfriend.

Nowadays, she takes those lessons to heart, and enjoyed every minute of her time on the show. "I was a huge Party of Five fan in college. I used to think, 'If I could just be The New Girl on Party of Five, then everything would be OK," Ever says. And lo and behold, she got her wish; and her career has taken off from there.

Mob family

Now starring in Lifetime's suspense/thriller Cleaverville, Ever is excited to be a part of a movie and a network that emphasises women and their strengths. Also, their ability to get out of jams all on their own - or perhaps with a little help from their mother and daughter.

Ever's character, Grace, plays a woman who accidentally gets caught up in a theft involving a dangerous mob family, and it's up to her mother and her daughter - whom she left in the care of her mother when she was an infant - to help Grace get out of the mess she is in. Ever explains: "This is a movie about the three of us - we are interesting, strong women trying to work out our pasts. Once you work out the past, you can get on with your future."

Even though Grace is an adult, like many women, she sometimes has to come home to Mom for help. "People often leave to find themselves and get away from their problems. Often, home is where the problems are, but it's also where the love is," Ever says.

Family life

Speaking of home, Ever has some famous folk in her family life, as one might guess by her last name. He father is Robert Carradine (Revenge of the Nerds fame); her grandfather is John (The Grapes of Wrath); one uncle is Keith (Nashville); and another uncle is David (Kung Fu and Kill Bill).

"I had a feeling it was a possibility that I would be an actress (because of her famous relatives). As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to go to work. My family was supportive of my decision, but they also tried to caution me, because of how cut-throat this business can be. But their concern came from a protective place, not because they didn't think I could make a career for myself."

For now, Ever is finishing up a series pilot for Lifetime that she hopes will be picked up this spring for a summer run. It's called The Madness of Jane, and it's about a brilliant neurologist who discovers that she is bipolar.

Coming back to series television will be a sort of coming home for Ever and her fans. If Party of Five taught her one thing, it's this: "When you're on a TV show, people watch you in their homes, and you're a part of their evening experience. They feel like they know you. There is a kind of intimacy with TV actors and their audience that I am now prepared for."

- Cindy Elasky