EVA LONGORIA took to the Lumiere stage alongside Daryl Lee, global CEO McCann Worldgroup, where it was announced that she has signed on to direct a major upcoming commercial for L’Oreal Paris.
The award-winning actress, spokesperson for L’Oreal Paris, producer, philanthropist and activist, has just released Flamin’ Hot, her first major Hollywood feature film as a director and she explained the importance to her of getting behind the camera.
“Hollywood defines what heroes look like so our industry, the media, branding — why we are all here — we get to dictate what those images are in the world. And what happens is those images educate other communities about us. So I thought, what a great opportunity to create a hero that looks like me, that sounds like my dad, because heroes never look like us,” she said.
“I wanted to tell this story because Flamin’ Hot is the number one snack in the world, a multi-billion-dollar brand, and is successful because a Mexican janitor who was cleaning the floors thought: ‘Why not put chilli on a chip and market it to a Hispanic community?’. It’s really about how opportunity is not distributed equally.”
Longoria revealed that almost 20 years ago when she first uttered the words ‘Because I’m worth it’ she started crying on camera. “I was thinking I get to say this mantra — because it’s not a slogan to me it’s a mantra. It’s like a calling to women everywhere,” she said. “I was so overwhelmed with the power of what that slogan could do.
“In my work as a director, as a producer, as a storyteller, I think we have so many stories to tell from my community — Richard Montañez [the subject of Flamin’ Hot] being one of them — and I want to change Hollywood to tap into a different pipeline of talent. Producing with purpose and telling stories that inspire my community not only to do more, but be more, is definitely my life’s mission.”
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