Eva Longoria says she’s not giving up on pushing for greater diversity, equity and inclusion across the entertainment industry as major players in Hollywood backtrack on earlier commitments to DEI.
“This kind of pendulum swing of DEI programs being cut back means a lot of directors and writers from those programs will suffer, because they give opportunity where opportunity is not usually there,” Longoria said during a conversation at the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah , Saudi Arabia.
“It’s a lot harder for women to break through in Hollywood, it’s a lot harder for people of color to break through, because I don’t think there’s a studio executive in the tower saying, ‘I don’t want to hire people of color.’ They only hire the most experienced people,” Longoria added.
As a result, the Hollywood star-turned-director and producer is calling for greater efforts to build resumes for people from underrepresented communities, including Latina women, who are not always helped to achieve their goals.
When Longoria mentions she hopes to direct or produce a project, she insists she will focus as much as possible on “someone’s potential,” not just their screen work. “A lot of talented people, they just don’t have the same resume,” Longoria said.
That’s why her eponymous Eva Longoria Foundation is focused on supporting women, especially Latinas, and helping them bolster their resumes. In her own filmmaking, Longoria urges breaking stereotypes of diverse communities and developing and producing meaningful work that resonates broadly.
“It’s not always easy to tell stories in marginalized communities. This region (the Middle East) knows that. The filmmakers represented here, you see the stories at this festival, they should be commended,” Lange said Leah said.
The Red Sea Film Festival runs until December 14th.
