Eva-Marie was born in New York City to an American mother and Swiss-German father. Early on, the family moved to Vaud, Switzerland where she spent the majority of her youth.

She began acting on stage at the age of 15 in Geneva before being accepted to the Gymnase Auguste-Piccard in Lausanne due to her skills as a pianist. After spending the summers commuting to the UK to study first at Sylvia Young Theatre School and then The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, she moved permanently at 17 to study Biological Sciences at University College London. There she was scouted by her first modeling agency and also started working professionally as a film actress, securing her first screen role in The Circle (2017) as Claire.