Ode to Eva Longoria, a busy Desperate Housewives

“The Latin Bomb”, “Tony Parker’s wife“, there “fashionista with rounded buttocks“…Eva Longoria could be an accomplished entrepreneur – actress, producer, fashion and restaurant entrepreneur – with a scientific degree in kinesiology and a master’s degree in “Chicana/o Studies” (studies of the Mexican-American community) completed during her years the sets of Desperate Housewives, she’s constantly brought back to her physique or her famous ex-husband, with a dose of racist fetishism as a bonus. This does not prevent him from pursuing an outstanding career and investing in sectors where, as a woman and a racialized person, she is doubly unwelcome.

Eva Longoria likes to play with clichés. Passing through the Cannes Film Festival, a stronghold of male filmmakers and “actress muses,” the star fulfilled her role as L’Oréal’s muse by strutting the red carpet in sumptuous gowns, as she debated sexism around the world with Andie McDowell. During the Kering Women in Motion conference, she remarked :

“A white man can make a movie with a $200 million budget, fail, and get another one. I have only one option, to work twice as hard, twice as fast and for half the money.”

Latin excellence

Out June 9 on Disney+his first film, the comedy flamin’ hot, tells the true story of A Latin excellencea journey of social elevation that proves that people of Latino descent are capable of excelling, whatever the field.

In the 1980s in California, Richard Montañez (Jesse Garcia), an American of Mexican origin, is hired as a maintenance worker in the Frito-Lay company. He can neither read nor write, but he manages to convince the CEO of the company to create a spicy flavor for his Cheetos, opening the brand to the Latin American market.

of invoice classic but effectivethe film, narrated in dubbing by the hero in a Scorsesian way, explores with humor and precision themes dear to Eva Longoria: racism towards Latinos, social elevation through entrepreneurship, community solidarity and the importance of the family unit.

Eva Longoria wanted to pay homage to the generation of her Mexican parents. TO New Yorkerconfided:

I love being able to define what a hero looks like in a film. He looks like my father. He looks like my uncle. He looks like all the men I grew up with in my neighborhood.

AND she also looks like Eva Longoriaitself a successful model of the American dream:

I knew who Richard was. I’m Richard Montañez. They doubted my abilities and told me: ‘This job isn’t for you’, ‘Ideas don’t come from people like you’, ‘Women like you shouldn’t do this job’.

If the general public knows her for her role in The fires of love (2001-2003) then for her incarnation of the glittering Gaby Solis in Desperate Housewives (2004-2012), which made her a star, Eva Longoria has acquired various skills in the sector. In 2011 she produced The harvest, a documentary about child farm labor in AmericaThen Sneaky Maid (2013-2016), a series that focuses on Latina maids AND Grand Hotel (2019).

Since 2010 he has directed short films, then serial episodes (Jane the Virgin, Why Women Kill, Black-ish) and documentaries, including the noted The civil war in 2022, about the rivalry between two Mexican and American-Mexican boxers. The story of Flamin’ hot he combined his taste for the family comedy genre, as well as a deep knowledge of the Mexican-American experience.

Change the system from within

Anecdote that well illustrates the lack of opportunities in cinema for the Hispanic minority: it’s been 20 years since we’ve seen a Latina director at the controls of an American film studio! It doesn’t matter: Eva Longoria recruits Latinx department heads for all positions in her film. You have long been involved in charitable projects such as UnidosUS (defense of the rights of Latin American peoples) or One (fight against extreme poverty).

In 2012, she created the Eva Longoria Foundation, which helps Latina girls and women through education or entrepreneurship. In the columns of New Yorkershe explains:

“People think our number one problem is immigration. It’s wrong. We worry about the economy. We care about jobs and we are job creators. […] The talents are there, now we have to offer them opportunities”.

A fervent Democrat, Eva Longoria supported Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden in the last US elections. She doesn’t hesitate to speak out on topics such as women’s reproductive rights or to denounce anti-immigration laws in her country. The Texan media regularly ask her if she would like to run for a term as a senator in the future.

Meanwhile, the star remains committed, particularly against street harassment in several L’Oréal commercials. She also this year produced and hosted the docu-series “Eva Longoria: In Search of Mexico,” which focuses on Mexican culinary traditions. Whatever form his future plans take, one thing is for sure, Eva Longoria will continue to make her voice heard.

Do you like our articles? You will love our newsletters! Sign up for free on this page.