Eva Longoria was made for this – and “this” doesn’t just refer to acting, as one would suspect of everyone’s favorite housewife on Wisteria Lane. “Everyone thinks I was an actor that fell into business, but I think I was always an entrepreneur that fell into acting,” Longoria tells me over Zoom on a sunny morning in Mallorca, Spain. The founder and entertainment icon is now affirming another skill in her repertoire: mentorship.
Between Longoria’s eight-season stint on Desperate Housewives playing suburbia’s It girl Gabby Solis, to her later ventures founding Casa Del Sol Tequila and and directing female led films, it’s no surprise that the actor is taking her passion for leadership to the next level.
She’s partnering with Lenovo on its Backing Every Business initiative, in which founders can apply for grants, AI technology, and mentorship. “My life’s work has been supporting small businesses, specifically women,” she says. “I couldn’t be more aligned.”
Lenovo’s Twinning program matches businesses with similar challenges. “A lot of times, entrepreneurs feel alone, and with this global initiative you have the opportunity to really talk to people who understand what you’re going through,” Longoria says. In fact, for select members of the program, she herself will be a small business owner’s match.
Longoria is a perpetual optimist. “I’ve always been glass half full. In eighth grade, I wanted to be head cheerleader never having done it before. I said, ‘I’m going to move to Hollywood, I’m going to become an actor,’ and everybody around me was like, ‘I’m sure you will.’ I always knew I would be successful, even when I was 12. I didn’t know what I was going to do with my life, but I knew I’d be successful at it.”
Her expansive mindset continues to take her career in new directions. Last year, she hosted Searching for Spain, a culture and culinary mini-series on CNN, and next month, she’ll head north with Searching for France. “Everything I do is to turn dreams into a real success stories,” she says.
Ahead, Longoria shares her biggest inspirations, career goals and the secret she can’t wait to spill.
As a kid, who was your biggest inspiration?
My mother. I come from a large family of women – my mom has nine sisters. I have three sisters, no brothers, it’s crazy. I had the example of the woman I wanted to be all around me in my mother, my sisters — and you have to remember, celebrity culture wasn’t a thing when I was growing up. So I never thought, I want to be like Salma Hayek. I wanted to be like my aunt. I wanted to be like my mom. If I could be 10% of the woman my mom is, I’ve succeeded in life.
Name something you used to think was a big deal but really isn’t.
Caring what people think. I think this applies to anyone, not just celebrities. If you’re thinking, “Oh, my neighbor thinks my grass is too high.” You know what I mean? I think it’s about letting go of people’s opinions. I paid more attention to it early on in my career, and now I just want to do what I do best, do what makes me happy, and create what I want to create without thinking about the outcome.
Who’s your biggest fan?
Probably my son, but my husband [producer and executive José Bastón] is a close second.
Who are you the biggest fan of?
My husband. I’m really proud of everything he’s building. I’m his biggest cheerleader.
What big goal are you still working toward?
Directing, and especially for women and the Latino community, making sure our stories are being told. That’s a big undertaking we’re doing with my media company, Hyphenate Media Group, by representing marginalized voices and storytellers.
What does your ideal big night out look like?
I really am a sergeant with my sleep. I’m asleep by 9, and I wake up at 4:30 or 5 a.m. to work out. All the experts agree, there’s nothing conflicting about how important sleep is for our bodies. My son goes to bed at 7, and I’ll lay with him — and honestly, I don’t want to get up again! I eat very early dinner, too. Don’t threaten me with a 6:00 dinner reservation!
What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned in the last year?
I really love [the book] The Four Agreements [by Don Miguel Ruiz], and I live and die by them as my life lessons. I don’t take things personally, and I never make assumptions. I’m always clarifying. I like to be clear. Even when my husband and I started dating, I was like, ‘I’m not going to assume I’m your girlfriend until you ask me.’ I put my best foot forward every single day. The Four Agreements should be on everybody’s nightstand.
Tell us a (big) secret.
Well, the secret to my latest film was the cameos of everyone in it. It was such a big secret that Will Ferrell is in our movie, and I’ve been biting my tongue — not even telling my husband! The paparazzi leaked it, so now I can talk about it, but it was amazing. It was a dream to direct Will Ferrell.
