“If a film shot by a woman goes badly, there are no other opportunities, for a man it’s different”- Corriere.it

«Today Gabrielle Solis would be an influencer, she would be a real social media guru». Eva Longoria, the most sparkling and restless of Desperate Housewives, the hugely popular TV series that aired from 2004 to 2012, can’t get rid of the character that made it famous. “I miss Gabby, I miss those times,” she says. The opportunity came with the promotion of “Flamin’ Hot”, the film that marks her directorial debut after a long career as an actress and producer. From June 9 on Disney+, the film tells the story of Richard Montañez (played by Jesse Garcia) who went from being a cleaner at the famous American food company Frito-Lay to manager thanks to an intuition: to create chips and snacks suitable for demanding palates of the Hispanic community in the USA. Americans — and with them Mexican-Americans — love brightly colored food and so do i Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, vermilion bordering on fluorescence, have become an iconic phenomenon of American pop culture. Less known until now was the story of their inventor that Longoria made it into cinema, funny, tender and with the most classic of happy endings.

Does the American dream still exist, Mrs Longoria?

“It’s still there but it’s definitely more difficult to conquer. This film explores the concept that opportunities are not distributed equally. Talent, on the other hand, is, but it is necessary that there is an infrastructure capable of facilitating it, and this is what we tell in the film».

«Flamin’ Hot» is also a love story.

«At first the script didn’t foresee her but when I met the real Richard and Judy, his wife, I immediately understood that their partnership was fundamental to the story. Their love story was the reason for that man’s success.”

So is it true that behind a successful man is a great woman?

«More than anything else it is true that it is easier to be successful if those who love you are rooting for you».

She had the entire Hispanic community cheering on her directorial debut.

“I was terrified, I couldn’t fail. As a woman and as a representative of my community. If a woman’s film doesn’t work, the financiers are quick to say we tried a woman director and it didn’t work. A director can go bankrupt and get another job right after, it’s not like that for a woman».

Are we still far from gender equality in the US?

«The perception is that Hollywood is doing something but the statistics, the data tell us that indeed, the situation today is worse than it was a couple of years ago. There are fewer female directors and fewer Hispanics cast or behind the camera. We need to do better.”

Today, do you prefer to be a producer and director rather than an actor?

«I like to do everything and the thing I would most like to do is act in a film directed and produced by me».

Would you return to Wisteria Lane, playing Gabrielle Solis?

“A lot but I don’t think it will happen. I’ve talked about it several times with the creator of Desperate Housewives, Marc Cherry and he argues that they are no longer the times. It was an innovative series, it was about housewives, about aging women. It had shades of yellow, drama and comedy. I remember thinking before the debut that it probably wouldn’t work, I was wrong. There isn’t much more to add today. We did eight seasons and then a season had 24 episodes, not like now when there are at most ten. What should we still explore?”.

The fact that a season now counts for ten episodes is one reason for the writers’ strike.

«The entertainment industry is changing and these changes must also produce an improvement in the conditions of those who work in the sector. We need to find a way to adequately compensate everyone.”

Another reason why the writers are going on strike is the fear of being replaced by artificial intelligence, what do you think? Is it a threat or an opportunity?

«No, I don’t think it could be an opportunity. I personally am terrified of what is happening. AI is already here with us, in our phones, computers, cars, whether we want it or not. We must therefore find a way to make it useful and non-threatening, there must be regulation, especially in the creative sector».