A year ago February, when Eidos announced that UK model Karima Adebibe had been chosen to be the woman who wears Lara Croft's hot pants at videogame events and conventions, the British beauty displayed the kind of job enthusiasm usually only found amongst rock stars, "Playboy" photographers, and videogame journalists. "I'm really excited to meet gamers," she gushed at the time. "I love gamers. They're so much fun." But while you'd think spending more than a year and a half in Lara's pants would've gotten tired by now, when we spoke to Karima recently, we found out that she's still as enthusiastic about the gig as she was when she first strapped on the guns.



GameSpy: When you started the Lara job, you were so bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, so excited to meet gamers. How long did that last?
Karima Adebibe: I'm still like that. Absolutely. It has been hard, in terms of going through all the training and doing all of the conventions, so it was very tiring. But seeing gamers and have them be like, "Oh my god, it's Lara Croft" still gives me such a buzz.
GameSpy: What's the funniest thing that happened when you've met a fan?
Karima Adebibe: Did I tell you about the man who pinched my bottom? I did a signing at a game shop in Birmingham [England], and everyone was really lovely, but this one gentleman, he asked if he could take a picture with me, and right when they took the picture, he pinched my bottom. I was so angry I almost pulled my guns on him. It was very naughty. But it was also quite funny.
GameSpy: Did a lot of women show up dressed as Lara?
Karima Adebibe: Yeah. There's millions of girls out there who've made their own Lara costumes, and have done it all so brilliantly. They have the hair down to a T, the make-up down to a T, I was very impressed with them.
GameSpy: You also did a lot of interviews. Did any journalists ask anything really inappropriate?
Karima Adebibe: Oh god yes. One guy asked me, "What are you like in the bedroom?" It was an interview over a lunch, and I didn't even acknowledge it, I just kept on eating. I got a lot of silly questions, but I was pretty good at getting myself out of them. "Playboy" was also a little saucy. They asked me how I would lure my man in, and I said, "I'd grapple him."