Eva Longoria on her Latina Heritage
Eva Longoria discussed her journey as a Latina actress at the Red Sea Film Festival 2024. She explained that not speaking Spanish initially impacted her career, as she was often asked to perform with an accent or in Spanish, which she could not do
Longoria’s parents, who speak Spanish, were advised not to teach her the language, resulting in her not learning it until she was 38. She has since made it a priority to pass on her cultural heritage to her son, ensuring he is bilingual
Longoria also spoke about her early days in Hollywood, where she started as an extra and worked her way up to starring roles. She is also passionate about empowering women through the Illinois Foundation, which she founded
From the interview
Full transcript · English
Okay, just do it in Spanish. Ooh, can't do that either. And I'm from Texas. My parents speak Spanish, but they were really, my parents were told not to teach a Spanish. So I didn't learn Spanish. And I remember moving to Hollywood and looking as I do, very Latina, and not getting Latina roles, you know. They were like, could you do that with an accent? And I was like, no. And then they were like, okay, just do it in Spanish. And I was like, ooh, can't do that either. So I wasn't Latin enough, and then I wasn't white enough. But it was later in life that I learned Spanish. I was like 38 when I started learning Spanish. And then I married a Mexican. Holding on to your language is very important culturally. And I, my son was bilingual. And that was the one thing where we were like, he will speak Spanish. We want him to navigate this world with his culture. And when I moved to Hollywood, I immediately wanted to be on a set. And so I was an extra for like two years. And I was just on a set, and I was just watching and learning, and I was observing, and I was asking all these questions. And they were like, who's this annoying girl? Get her back to holding. Then I got one line, and then I got two lines, and then I got five lines, and then worked my way up to, you know, starring in it. I remember.
