By Guillermo Azabal |
Los Angeles (USA), (EFE).- Eva Longoria was barely 25 years old when she left her ranch in Texas and established herself as one of the best-known faces in Hollywood both for her talent and her beauty.
Now, the American with Mexican roots makes her debut as a filmmaker with the aim of “making Latino talent visible.”
“Representing Latinos well in the cinema can change consciences,” explained Eva Longoria in an interview with EFE before the official release of her first film as a director, “Flamin’ Hot.”
“The viewer is not going to think the same of our community if they see this story (“Flamin’ Hot”) as if they see “Narcos”, for example”, he added.
Eva Longoria debuts as director
His film, which premieres exclusively this Friday on the Disney+ platform, is a biographical story of Richard Montañez, the Californian businessman from Mexico who claims to be the inventor of the spicy version of “Cheetos”, the famous snacks flavored with cheese made from cornmeal.
The film is Longoria’s debut as a filmmaker after almost a decade leading series and other television products behind the camera.
However, beyond the change in format, what makes the actress also most proud is that “almost the entire work team”, including the protagonists, is Latino.
“Developing a project like this is not normal in Hollywood. Our people are not included and it is incredible that this is still happening here,” she said, referring to California, a state in which approximately 40% of the population is of Hispanic origin.
Eva Longoria revealed to EFE that when she received the script, co-written by Lydia Ivette Chávez (“I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter”), she felt attracted by the potential of “a Latino success story” that could do her bit to go breaking down the stereotypes established in the mecca of cinema.
The story of Richard Montanez
“I thought that the life of Richard Montañez was incredibly inspiring and that I had to take it to the whole world,” said the 48-year-old interpreter who rose to fame for her role in “Desperate Housewives” (“Desperate Women”, in Spanish). .
Montañez’s story is popularly known among the California Latino community but its veracity was questioned in a Los Angeles Times investigation in 2021.
The story that Montañez has endeavored to convey – and from which the film draws – is based on his supposed promotion as a janitor at the Frito-Lay plant in the town of Rancho Cucamonga (San Bernardino, California) until he was head of the department of multicultural marketing for coming up with the idea of spicy “Cheetos”.
With more or less doses of reality, “Flamin’ Hot” tells the businessman’s story from a perspective that pays little attention to specific data and focuses on emotional moments that, on occasions, explicitly transcend the dream plane.
“In the film we were able to do anything that came to mind because it strays into the world of fantasy and reflects how Richard saw his reality,” the filmmaker concluded.
Starring actors Jesse García and Annie González, the film also straddles the genres of drama and comedy to become a “Latino hero” movie.
The Story of “Flamin’ Hot”
“I wanted to show Richard’s example because we don’t have Latino heroes in the movies or in the media. So it’s hard for us to look at ourselves and think: ‘I want to be a member of my community as such,’” added Longoria, who spoke in Spanish throughout the interview.
In the last hours before the release, the director was dubious about the “obstacles” of Hollywood in the face of the debut as a filmmaker of “any Latina and, furthermore, a woman” but stressed that critics have already sent her “respect” in the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF).
The commercial success of “Flamin’ Hot” will decide from now on the route of this film, for which Longoria asked Latinos to “show their support” so that film studios have no other option than to continue betting on “stories that really change the mentality of society” with Hispanics.