EVA LONGORIA
The 44-year-old actress plays the title character’s mother, Elena, in Dora and the Lost City of Gold (available digitally on Mon., Dec. 23).
Was it a no-brainer for you to say yes to this role? Oh, absolutely! I thought, “Why hasn’t this been done before?” Because it feels like Tomb Raider, it feels like a big movie. Also, the fact that we’re not talking about a 6-year-old Dora but a 16-year-old Dora. That also helps. Her navigating the jungle of high school as well as the real jungle, that just blew her world right open. What are your memories of high school? Similar to hers – fitting in, standing out, not fitting in … I think it’s worse today with social media and bullying. There were bullies in our school, but I just remember not wanting to be different. And the great thing about the lesson in Dora is that you don’t have to do that – people will love you or people won’t, but so long as you are true to yourself, that’s all that matters. It’s an important lesson.
Yes. The level of intolerance globally for people who are different to you is insane. So it’s nice to see a movie that speaks to that acceptance of who you are and how you are.
There must have been a lot of pressure on Isabela Moner to bring Dora to life. Did you give her tips? It’s so much pressure. I was speaking to Bela about it before we started. I said, “You have fun. This is supposed to be fun! Don’t feel the pressure of bringing this character to life. It’s your version.”
You shot the film just after giving birth. How was that?
My son was 7 weeks old when we went to Australia. So, I was deliriously tired and breastfeeding. I’m 30 pounds heavier in the movie – 30 pounds! My boobs were this big and because it was [shot] over two months, I was losing the baby weight [throughout].