Eva Longoria is using her story to motivate others.
In a post on Instagram Thursday, the multi-hyphenated actress and director reflected on her success while encouraging other Latinx artists to tap into their potential.
“Looking back at this photo really has me reflecting on all the work I’ve had to do to get here, being a chicana directing powerful movies about and for my culture,” Longoria began her caption.
“From doing more than what was expected of me (acting), pushing back, being told no, being excluded from conversations because it wasn’t where I ‘belonged,'” she continued. “It hasn’t been an overnight success as y’all know. But here I am, despite all of that, doing what I love to do and you can too!! Whatever that is. Because if this Texicana from Corpus Christi can, you can too.”
The call to action post sparked a wave of support from her followers:
“You are such an inspiration. Thank you for your motivating and uplifting posts,” a fan wrote.
“I love that you represent us! Bless you and your family,” a follower wrote while another admirer added, “I love it!! Nothing more powerful than a Strong, Educated and No nonsense ????????Woman!”
Of course, shining a light on the Latinx experience is nothing new for Longoria.
In September, the mogul spoke to Yahoo Entertainment about how her Mexican heritage, specifically Tejana culture, inspires all areas of her life.
“Being Mexican is who I am,” she said at the time. “For me, it exudes in everything that I do every day from how I style my hair, to putting on my lip liner, to putting on my hoops, to what I make for breakfast, how I have my café con leche, how I drive. It seeps into every aspect of my life.”
The activist added that shining a light on these issues is integral in her work.
“The problem is when you don’t have a person of color within your community, if your neighbors aren’t Latino, the only reference you have of us is the news. And that doesn’t do a very good job of portraying who we are,” she explained. “And so, representation in TV, in film, in music, in art, it matters because it educates the community about who we are.”
This year is shaping up to be quite the career boost for Longoria.
The star’s film directorial debut, Flamin’ Hot, about the unlikely Latino creator behind the popular Cheetos flavor, is due out later this year. Another Longoria-directed film, La Guerra Civil, a documentary about Oscar De La Hoya‘s 1996 fight against Mexican all-time great Julio César Chávez, was chosen as one of the Sundance Film Festival’s opening night premieres.
Still, despite her immense success, Longoria takes time to advise young Latinx artists on how to succeed in the industry, using her personal experience as a springboard.
“Go into [the business] knowing there are systemic barriers,” she said to Yahoo Entertainment. There is a systemic culture that is taught not to let you in. Just know that you have to work twice as hard.”
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