When Eva Longoria’s film Flamin’ Hot became the first film to debut simultaneously on Hulu and Disney+ on June 9, it quickly became the most streamed film premiere ever for studio Searchlight Pictures over its first three days.
Longoria’s feature debut as a director, the film tells the story of Richard Montañez, a former PepsiCo executive who worked his way up from a Frito-Lay factory janitor to a leading figure in the company’s marketing department, and who claims (seemingly erroneously) to have come up with the idea for Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.
Longoria was featured on the cover of Fast Company‘s summer issue, and spoke this week at Fast Company‘s Impact Council conference.
In conversation with Fast Company‘s executive editor of editorial programming KC Ifeanyi, Longoria talked about the pressure in making the film, not just from directing her first feature, but also in telling a distinctly Latino story.
KC Ifeanyi, Fast Company executive director of editorial programming at Fast Company‘s 2023 Impact Council [Photo: Alyssa Ringler]
“For me, I definitely felt the Mexican-American community, and the Latino community, on my shoulders every day I showed up to set,” said Longoria. “But I used it in a good way in, ‘I’m going to make you proud, I’m going to do my best, I’m going to be accurate and authentic.’ And it shows.”
There was also the inherent pressure of attempting to become the latest example of a female director who can make hits. “There’s still less than 5% of women behind the camera, and who tells these stories matters,” she said. “So I felt the pressure that, if this movie fails, [a woman like me] won’t get another chance for another 10 years.”
That pressure is real, as representation in Hollywood has actually decreased since a peak in 2019. A 2022 report from San Diego State’s Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film found that while 16% of the top 100 films in 2020 were directed by women, that number fell to 12% in 2021.
Longoria said there is an illusion that Hollywood is progressive, but she sees an opportunity in the industry disruption and increased demand for content. “When that happens, a lot of the gatekeepers tap into the same talent pool, for more stable bets. they keep going to Tom, Bob, and Harry because they’re reliable,” she says “But that’s the wrong thinking, because the only way you’re going to break out of the noise is to innovate. And the only way to innovate is to diversify. Create something new.”
As a producer and director, Longoria sees that diversity as a part of her mission, to help the industry tap into a different pipeline of talent. “There are a lot of talented people in this industry who just don’t get a shot,” she said.
When asked about the most important lessons from her experience with Flamin’ Hot, Longoria said the importance of giving people that chance.
“When I was making the movie, right when we finished, what I learned is, ‘Oh, I can do this.’ I didn’t doubt I could do it, but when I finished, that’s when I knew,” she said. “Like (Montañez’ story), sometimes you just need somebody to give you permission to be great.”
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