Cannes Film Festival brings a large amount of Hollywood’s A-list to the south of France, but no star is possibly more au fait with proceedings than Eva Longoria.
The actor and director has been walking the Croisette for two decades now, first attending the festival in 2005 – and despite being a pro who knows how to navigate the circus of it all, the magic has not rubbed off.
“It’s a privilege to be in Cannes!” she says, glancing at the ocean behind her. “It’s not just about the films – it’s about the convergence of all creative industries: the fashion, the writers. the journalists, the brands – everybody’s storytelling. You could sit here all day long and just people-watch and be blown away by it.”
Longoria’s Cannes is a busy affair. When she’s not walking the red carpet or taking part in photoshoots, she’s attending parties and, of course, watching films. It can be an exhausting operation. Fortunately, Longoria has a morning routine that places her in a good position for the day ahead.
“Coffee!” she exclaims. “I roll out of bed and push the button on my Nespresso machine. I like all coffee too. I like a macchiato, I love a latte, a cappuccino – or a Nespresso after lunch. It depends on what country I’m in based on who does it best.” She says she’s also one of those lucky souls you can sink a Nespresso after dinner “and then go straight to bed”.
Longoria, known by many for playing Gabrielle Solis in the TV show Desperate Housewives, made her directorial debut in 2023 with Flamin’ Hot, a biographical drama about a man claiming to have invented Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. As a filmmaker, the impact of having a project chosen by festival programmers is not lost on her.
“It’s such an honour to be selected to premiere here ‘cause you’re going to get a global audience that has an intense appreciation for the art. Every festival isn’t like that.”
Longoria also had plenty of praise for her team of designers who she says works around the clock to pull off her red carpet looks.
“This is an illusion that they’ve created,” she says, gesturing to herself. “Especially with the red carpet. Everything’s custom-made. You get sketches from designers and they’re like, ‘We did metal already so let’s not do that again’ or ‘we did this shape already, so let’s switch it up.’”
Across the seven days she’s at the festival, “it’s about mixing and matching to make sure we’re serving different looks”.
Longoria also reveals that a surefire way to avert any disasters is to bring any outfits you’re planning on wearing on night one with you on the plane. “I always bring my outfit on my carry-on because too many times my luggage has not arrived.”
The actor-director advises Cannes newbies to “arrive days earlier to get acclimated” to the festival, stating: “If you hit the ground running, you’re just catching up with sleep.”
Not that Longoria is concerned about nodding off in any of the movies she’s watching; she believes “a good film will keep your attention”.
Eva Longoria is a Nespresso brand partner, with a starring role in their latest advertising campaign alongside George Clooney
