EVA LONGORIA
EVA LONGORIA BASTON CHATS ABOUT HER CAREER, MOTHERHOOD AND LOCKDOWN CALLS WITH HER BEST FRIEND
Eva Longoria Bastón will forever be associated with her Desperate Housewives character Gabrielle Solis – she played the feisty model for almost a decade. Although her fame and success seemed instant, Eva worked for a long time as an extra before she got her big break. “I touched every rung of the ladder and I paid my dues,” she explained.
The 45-year-old – who is married to businessman Jose Bastón [who she sweetly calls Pepe] and mum to two-year-old
Santiago – has since gone on to become a producer and director, creating opportunities for other aspiring actors. We also see her popping up regularly in L’oréal adverts. In her most recent she showed off her grey hairs before dyeing them herself.
Her down-to-earth nature and the fact that she has wine o’clock video calls with Victoria Beckham make her top of our fantasy best friend list. Especially because, even though Hollywood can be a hard place to work, Eva has always remained positive and she’s taken that attitude into lockdown...
It was fine because I wasn’t planning on doing anything huge. His first birthday was really big, but not his second one. I was like, “I just want to do a cake and be at home with our family.” And that’s exactly what we ended up doing. It was actually nice to have a reason not to throw a big shindig for my son, who won’t remember it.
How much has motherhood changed you? Motherhood is absolutely life-changing. It’s beautiful. I think children are a product of love, so Santi is a product of how much Pepe and I love each other. I’m much more patient now. That’s definitely something I’ve seen in myself.
Have you been doing Zoom calls with your besties, such as Victoria Beckham?
Oh yeah. We speak all the time. We’ve had wine o’clock Zooms, even though it’s hard because of the time difference. I’ve actually done more connecting with my good friends than I did before. I guess this has been a great thing in terms of the way it has affected my friendships, because now we actually make time for each other because we miss each other so much.
‘Motherhood is life-changing – i’m Much More patient now’
‘I WANT TO BE THE PRODUCER, DIRECTOR AND ACTOR ON PROJECTS – BUT ACTING Is MY TRUE PASSION’
Thankfully, I don’t have anxiety. I don’t get worried too much because I’m always optimistic. But this is the first time I really was worried for the world. I’ve been really worried for the people who aren’t as privileged to be able to stay home. I’ve thought a lot about different communities – and specifically communities of colour, the Hispanic community and the black community, which are disproportionately affected by Covid. That was concerning to me. For that reason, the work I’ve been doing with my foundation [The Eva Longoria Foundation] was really important to me.
What are you most looking forward to doing when the world starts to open up again?
I miss seeing movies in a theatre and going to restaurants. Right now, I won’t go anywhere. We still don’t have a hold of it [the virus] in the United States. I think we didn’t completely close down soon enough and then we opened up perhaps a little too soon. The economy is hurting, so people feel like we’ve got to get back to normal, but what does that mean? There are a lot of moving parts to this global pandemic that we’ve never been through, but hopefully we can get a hold of it.
Did you always sense you were going to be a Hollywood star?
No. I knew I was going to be successful, but I didn’t know what that looked like. I never said, “I want to be famous.” I never said, “I want to be a star.” I said, “I want to work hard.”
What other roles did you tackle before
Desperate Housewives?
When I moved to Hollywood, I did extra work for two years. I got one line – then I got two. And then I got five lines, so I touched every rung of the ladder and I paid my dues. And then I got The Young And The Restless [a US soap opera] and once that happened I was like, “I’ll have to think of another dream because my dream was to be on a soap and here I am.” Back then, I didn’t know what primetime meant – but that’s what I worked towards.
Did the wages increase with each role? When I booked my role on LA Dragnet, I could have been on that show forever. That was the most money I’d ever made. I remember thinking, “Wow, I could live on this forever. I could retire on what I was making.” By the way, it was nothing. I accomplished primetime but then the show got cancelled – and that’s when Desperate Housewives came along and my life continued to change and evolve.
Do you have fond memories of your time on Desperate Housewives?
I was so happy. I was so lucky and I was so blessed, but it wasn’t until I was on Desperate Housewives that I started to learn about the industry. That’s when I decided I wanted to be a director and a producer. I used my 10 years on Desperate Housewives as my film school.
Do you prefer acting, producing or directing? All three. I like to control the environment and the final product. I want to be the producer, director and actor on projects. But if I’m not, I love acting. It’s fun to be on a set and not have to think about where the camera goes. When you’re acting, you don’t have to think about whether or not we’re going to get the scene or if we’re going to make the day work. That’s not my problem [laughs]. I guess that means acting is still my true passion.
How have you handled life in lockdown?
I’ve been lucky because I have my son Santi. He is the biggest stress-reliever for me because he’s pure joy, fun and love. Usually I’m busy reading scripts and TV shows – but now I can read what I want to read. I’ve been busy watching things too. Not for enjoyment, but for homework. It was nice to do things for pure enjoyment during this time. The other big thing I really enjoy doing is cooking. For me, cooking is so therapeutic. It’s been fun to be able to cook more during this time.