Actress Eva Longoria is calling the shots as the director in her new film centered around Latinos.
"Flamin’ Hot" tells the story of a janitor at Frito-Lay whose desire for a chip with a spicy flavor led to the creation of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.
The film marks Longoria’s debut as a movie director, and it's one she hopes will resonate with the Latino community.
The movie, as told through the lens of Richard Montañez, is an inspiring account of how Montañez's Mexican-American heritage helped him create what would later become an iconic global pop culture phenomenon. However, it was not easy for Montañez or his wife, Judy Montañez.
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Longoria cast actors Jesse Garcia and Annie Gonzalez to play the heroes that help build a billion-dollar brand.
“When I read the script and I heard about the story, I was like, ‘I know her. I'm from the same community. I'm, you know, a little hood girl at heart. But I have a lot of faith,’” Gonzalez said.
According to Longoria, often times are ignored by many institutions including the media, the workplace or their own communities due to preconceived notions.
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“It's a beautiful love letter to the Mexican-American community,” Longoria said.
“Hollywood always defines what heroes look like. And they never look like us. They never look like Richard. And I knew this was a great opportunity to create a new hero that looked like my dad, that sounded like my Tio,” Longoria said.
The story of exactly who and how the chip was created continues to be debated. However, for Longoria, she wanted to get the depiction of Latinos right.
“We don't get a lot of bites of the apple as Latino filmmakers, as female filmmakers. And so, if there's not success with this movie, the message to Hollywood is those stories don't matter,” Longoria said.
Longoria hopes the story will resonate with Latinos across the world and help provide more opportunities for Latinos in media.
“When we have a story about us and by us, we need our community to show up,” Longoria said.
