Longoria now a power broker in politics
Actress is a political power broker advocating for women and Latinx
Eva Longoria started not one but two national political conventions this year. She hosted the Democratic National Convention's first night and became a talking point in one of the opening speeches of the Republican National Convention a week later.
Within the first half-hour of the GOP convention, the Republican National Committee chair scoffed at the Democrats' decision to have Longoria, “a famous Hollywood actress who played a housewife on TV,” MC one of its biggest nights. But the criticism fell flat, not least because the actress also spoke at the Democratic conventions in 2016 and 2012. If anything, the swipe conveyed the power Longoria has attained after more than a decade in the political advocacy space.
For many, Longoria is still best known for playing the pampered Gabrielle Solis on ABC'S Desperate Housewives, or educating us about the skin care benefits of hyaluronic acid in commercials for L'oreal. It's easy to forget that she had just a handful of credits before she was cast on Housewives and became a household name. But for Longoria, a ninth-generation Texan who grew up in Corpus Christi, the role is perhaps most significant because of what it enabled her to do next.
Longoria, 45, has emerged as a fierce advocate for women and
Latinx. There is a clear line from her journey in Hollywood to the efforts that have put her on three consecutive Democratic National Convention stages. Amid a pivotal election year and a pandemic that has disproportionately affected Latinx and other people of colour, Longoria has mobilized voters and co-founded organizations that seek systemic change.
“You can't change policy until you change culture,” Longoria says, citing a quote from artist-activist Favianna Rodriguez. “The biggest way you can change culture is through media. And so I'm in a position in which I can influence what people think of our community but also how our community thinks of ourselves. I started producing and directing ... so that I could tell stories from my community. So that people could see us as heroes, too, and see us as part of the fabric of this country.”
Longoria says the set of Desperate Housewives, created by Marc Cherry, was effectively her film school. She later signed on as an executive producer to Cherry's followup project, Devious Maids, which was led by an ensemble cast of four Latina actresses: Judy Reyes, Dania Ramirez, Roselyn Sanchez and Ana Ortiz.
Longoria has since directed for shows championing under-represented groups, including Jane the Virgin, Black-ish and two of her own projects: NBC'S Telenovela, and ABC'S Grand Hotel. She is set to direct three big-screen projects, one of which will mark her feature directorial debut: She will direct and star in Spa Day, an action-comedy, and will also pull double duty on 24-7, co-starring Kerry Washington. The other is Flamin' Hot, a biopic about the Mexican-american businessman who created the cult-favourite variety of Cheetos.
“Once I got to Hollywood, I was fascinated by how things were put together, and I was fascinated by the business side,” she says. “I felt like, as an actor, I wasn't using my full potential. I was just going to work, standing on a mark, saying my lines and going home. And when I was producing and directing, it was like I was firing on all cylinders.”
Longoria graduated in 2013 with a master's degree in Chicana/o studies from California State University at Northridge. She wrote her thesis on the value of increasing opportunities for Latinas in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), which is also one focus of the non-profit organization she founded in 2012.
Last month, she announced the creation of She Se Puede, a digital lifestyle community she launched with actress America Ferrera and other Latina activists.
“There are so many studies that showed we don't even know we have buying power, political power,” Longoria says. “We're trying to make sure that Latinas know that they have this power.”
In 2014, Longoria co-founded the political action committee Latino Victory Fund with Henry R. Muñoz III. And this past July, Muñoz and Longoria launched Momento Latino, uniting more than 130 organizations toward the goal of systemic change in health care, the economy and education.
Part of Longoria's appeal stems from her willingness to be “vulnerable,” says Tina Tchen, president and CEO of Time's Up, which counts the actress among its founding members. “Having a Latinx woman do that from a position of success and power, but still deeply connected and rooted to her community is incredibly powerful.”
I'm in a position in which I can influence what people think of our community but also how our community thinks of ourselves.