‘Compassion is in the DNA of the UAE’
Ahead of her third annual charity gala in Dubai, tabloid! sat down with actress, producer and political activist Eva Longoria, before she headed to the Global Gift Foundation event at the Four Seasons on Saturday. She spoke to us about her charity work, her new TV show, and why she loves Dubai.
Describing the foundation’s work she said, “The Eva Longoria foundation helps young women through educational programmes and entrepreneur programmes and [in] making sure they have economic mobility in their life. We do the Global Gift Galas all over the world to help raise funds for different organisations and charities in the places which we hold them. Paris, London, Marbella, Dubai, Cannes, Mexico, and so it’s basically about connecting the dots and charities and awareness, and raising funds for all these amazing causes.”
FRIEND AND HELPER
Longoria founded the Eva Longoria Foundation in 2012 and is actively involved in it. This is the third year that the gala is being held in Dubai, but Longoria likes to keep things fresh for guests and so, this year she invited her old friend, star of the hit TV show Empire Terrence Howard, to join her and perform.
“Terrance and I have been friends over 15 years so we call him and say get over here,” she says with a mischievous laugh. “No, he is a dear friend and a big supporter of us. He’s been a supporter from the beginning; he has come to Spain, to Cannes. We know we can always count on him and he is an amazing entertainer as well.”
“He is an amazing singer, so that’s just a special treat any time anybody gets to see him perform. Very excited about that.”
Since tabloid!’s last meeting with Longoria a year ago, she has been busy producing, directing and starring in a new comedy TV show called Telenovela, which is being released in the US on January 4 and will then be available online. Longoria could barelycontain her excitement at the release of the show. “It’s a super-funny comedy, behind the scenes of a telenovela — which is a Spanish soap opera — and I play the star of a Spanish soap opera who doesn’t speak Spanish.
‘FUN TO WATCH’
“[It has] lot of physical comedy, it’s big and broad and it’s so much fun to watch.”
“It took two years to develop, a lot of work. It’s all-consuming but I love it, and I am so proud of it, and I hope people enjoy it as much as we enjoyed making it,” she said.
There was no big drama over how she was inspired to develop the show, she just followed her heart, she said. “I just had an idea that it would be funny to do a behind the scenes of a telenovela because they are big and loud and crazy, and we got writers, and you do the process.”
The actress added that she won’t be on the big screen any time soon so it seems we have to wait a little longer before we get a repeat of another hit movie such as Over Her Dead Body.
So what does the star love about Dubai that keeps her coming back?
“Oh I love everything, I love how beautiful it is, I love the people, I love the weather,” she pauses for a moment and corrects her statement with a laugh. “Although, the weather in December,” and she laughs. “It’s just a place everyone must come to once in their lifetime.”
“I love coming to Dubai, because compassion is in the DNA of the UAE. Taking care of your own, taking care of each other, it’s a very kind loving and compassionate place to be, so we just extent that to philanthropy and you have a perfect recipe for success.” —S.G.