Eva Longoria Opens Up About Turning 50, “Desperate Housewives” and Creating Casa Del Sol (March 2025)

Sun Sep 14 2025

From her breakout role on Desperate Housewives to thriving today as an actor, director, producer, and entrepreneur, Eva Longoria has one of the most multifaceted careers in Hollywood. In this conversation from March 2025, Longoria opens up to Willie Geist about how her childhood in Texas shaped her journey, her perspective on fame, family, and longevity in Hollywood at 50, and her starring role in Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip. She also talks about her work behind the camera and building her tequila brand, Casa Del Sol.

Transcript

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Commercial Announcer (0:47)

Are you ready to get spicy?

Willie Geist (0:49)

These Doritos Golden Sriracha aren't that spicy.

Commercial Narrator (0:53)

Sriracha sounds pretty spicy to me.

Willie Geist (0:57)

Um, a little spicy, but also tangy and sweet.

Commercial Narrator (1:01)

Maybe it's time to turn up the.

Willie Geist (1:03)

Heat or turn it down. It's time for something that's not too spicy. Try Doritos Golden Sriracha, spicy but not too spicy. Hey guys, Willie Geist here with another episode of the Sunday Sit Down. My thanks as always for clicking and listening along. Got a great one for you this week with Eva Longoria. First got to know Eva in 2004 when she played Gabrielle Solis on Desperate Housewives, the show that over the course of eight seasons became kind of a national sensation. A very steamy show, a spicy show, made her a household name. Since then she's had a million acting projects, but also has become a really prominent producer. She's been a director in Hollywood, philanthropist, activist. She kind of does it all. She just turned 50 years old and that's a topic of conversation between the two of us because I'm about to turn 50 myself. So we commiserated over that. You'll hear a little bit later on. We mix up a margarita in celebration of her birthday. She's really talented behind the bar and in the kitchen. Which brings us to one of her projects right now. It's called Eva Longoria Searching for Spain. It's that CNN series started Stanley Tucci in Italy. And in her case, she's going to Spain to the roots, the foundation of her Mexican American heritage where her family was 400 years ago, experiencing the culture and the food and the people, just as she did with Searching for Mexico, a series a couple of years ago she did on CNN as well. So she's got that going on. She's got a new Disney plus movie called Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, no Good, Very Bad Road Trip. It's a road trip movie based on the famous books. Just so much that she has in the Hopper right now and frankly, always has in the Hopper. She does tv, she does movies, she does her. Eva Longoria foundation is working to support people after the wildfires. She's just one of those forces of nature that you respect and admire. And she's so talented as an actress and a producer, but also just like a cool, fun person, smart person to hang out with. Grew up on a working ranch, a small ranch outside of Corpus Christi, Texas. You'll hear her talk about that and the improbable road from that place to the heights of Hollywood, how she did it, how she got there. A lot to talk about right now with Eva Longoria on the Sunday Sit down podcast.

Summary

Sunday Sitdown with Willie Geist – Eva Longoria Opens Up About Turning 50, “Desperate Housewives,” and Creating Casa Del Sol

Original Air Date: September 14, 2025
Podcast Host: Willie Geist
Guest: Eva Longoria

Episode Overview

Willie Geist sits down for an uplifting, candid, and often hilarious conversation with Eva Longoria as she approaches her 50th birthday. The talk covers Eva’s journey from a rural Texas ranch to Hollywood fame, her milestone birthday philosophy, acting and directing highlights, family, cultural identity, philanthropy, and her entrepreneurial ventures—including her tequila brand, Casa Del Sol. They finish by making strawberry-mint margaritas together, embodying Eva’s infectious zest for life.

Major Discussion Points & Insights

1. Turning 50: Philosophy and Reflections

Eva’s take on aging:
Eva expresses excitement rather than apprehension about turning 50, describing it as “just a number” and something she looks forward to (04:10). She’s always been future-focused and high-spirited, embracing every decade with optimism.

“For me, it's just a number. And I've always looked forward to being older...I really, always in, my glass is half full...50 is just like that.” – Eva (04:10)
Emotional stock-taking at 50:
Eva emphasizes the importance of curating experiences and people in her life now, focusing less on saying ‘yes’ to everything and more on thoughtfully choosing what matters:

“I think the second half of my life will be about saying no and just really curating my experiences, curating my people and making those moments more special.” – Eva (05:03)

2. Family & Representation in Hollywood

Starring in a family movie for Disney:
Eva discusses starring in the new Disney+ family adventure, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip. She enjoys projects she can watch with her six-year-old son and values positive Latino representation:

“It just happens to be a Latino family. So that representation also was something I was really proud of...to be in a movie that lives in joy and lives in family...That's what I want to do. Sign me up.” – Eva (09:09)
Impact on son and legacy movies:
Eva reflects on the rarity of wholesome, fun family films today, citing classics her son enjoys, like The Sandlot and Goonies (10:25).

3. “Searching for Spain” & Cultural Roots

Travel series inspiration:
Eva shares how Searching for Spain was inspired by Stanley Tucci’s Searching for Italy and her own prior series, Searching for Mexico. She reverse-engineered her dream job—being paid to explore food and culture globally:

“I want to eat and drink my way through the world. I'm going to get a show that pays me to do that.” – Eva (13:35)
Purpose behind showcasing Mexico and Spain:
She discusses using food series to combat stereotypes and broaden perspectives of Mexico in particular:

“I wanted to help repair [Mexico’s image], and it did. A lot of people came out of Searching for Mexico going, ‘I had no idea how diverse, stunning, beautiful...’ Because when you're talking about the food of a culture, you're talking about its people.” – Eva (14:05)
Personal genealogical journey:
Eva recounts her family lineage from Spain to Texas, exploring identity complexities as a Mexican-American of Spanish descent. She emphasizes pride in all aspects of her roots (16:41–18:31).

4. Early Life and Path to Hollywood

Childhood on a Texas ranch:
Eva’s upbringing was rural and grounded, filled with chores, barefoot adventures, and seasonal eating (21:22–23:20). She attributes her practical resourcefulness and values to this experience.
Path to acting:
She never dreamed of Hollywood as a child and entered a scholarship pageant at 21 for college funds. Winning led her to another pageant and ultimately a trip to Hollywood—where she decided, somewhat impulsively and naively, to try acting, approaching it with a business mindset (23:43–26:14).

“I didn't go like, oh, look, Salma Hayek...My role models in life were my mom, my sisters...I land in Hollywood and...I think I'm going to be an actor.” – Eva (26:14)
Breaking into television:
Eva details the incremental, persistent process: two years as an extra, then minor roles, leading up to her first major success on Desperate Housewives (28:02–29:32).

5. Fame, Media, and Social Pressures

Experiencing sudden celebrity:
The explosion of Desperate Housewives brought new challenges—paparazzi, a lack of privacy, and a shift in media dynamics as technology changed. Eva compares the paparazzi-centric era of the mid-2000s with today's social media saturation (30:32–32:21).
Social media and self-esteem:
Eva and Willie discuss the pitfalls of social media for youth, especially girls, and the resulting FOMO, unrealistic beauty standards, and perceived inequality (33:13–34:45).

“It's brought more to—in your face, as opposed to before when we kind of happily lived with, like, isn't everybody on my block living...We all live the same.” – Willie (33:35)

6. Producing, Directing, and Creating Opportunities

Producer-director at heart:
Eva reveals she always gravitated toward producing and directing, even before acting, appreciating the control and opportunity creation those roles allow (37:40). She’s passionate about lifting up other talents and providing access and infrastructure, especially for Latina women:

"Some people have the talent and not the access...So really, building that infrastructure for them to get there easier is really exciting to me." – Eva (39:21)
Flamin’ Hot:
Discusses the gratification and cultural impact of her acclaimed (directorial debut) film and its role as a Latino pop culture touchstone (39:45–41:10).

7. The Eva Longoria Foundation and Philanthropy

Philanthropic mission:
Eva talks about the expansion of her foundation, focused on empowering women through education and entrepreneurship, and her recent million-dollar donation to support wildfire recovery “second responders.”

"If you help a woman, she helps her family. If she helps her family, it improves communities, and so on and so on..." – Eva (42:30)
Receiving the Bezos-Sanchez Award:
Describes the transformative $50 million Civility Award which allows her foundation to scale its impact (41:44).

8. Entrepreneurship: Casa Del Sol Tequila

Birth of the brand:
Eva explains launching her tequila venture, emphasizing Casa Del Sol’s unique aging process (in cognac barrels) and its female master distiller (50:27–51:43).
Social impact:
Employment opportunities for women in Mexico, such as crafting the vegan leather neck for the bottle, are highlighted as intentional, woman-centric company values (51:47–52:31).

“Whenever the DNA of the company is founded by a woman, there's a lot of things we do different.” – Eva (52:30)

Memorable Quotes

On thriving at 50:
“I want to age well. And I think with, like, technology and modern medicine, we're gonna live longer. So it's about how many of those years will I be healthy and agile and mobile.” – Eva Longoria (04:40)
On saying ‘no’:
“I am of the philosophy of say yes...But I think the second half of my life will be about saying no and just really curating my experiences...” – Eva Longoria (05:03)
On representation:
“I don’t walk through the world that way...So to be able to be in a movie that lives in joy and lives in family...that’s what I want to do.” – Eva Longoria (09:19)
On building bridges in Hollywood:
“Some people have the talent and not the access...building that infrastructure for them to get there is really exciting to me.” – Eva Longoria (39:22)
On identity:
“Not feeling American enough, not feeling Mexican enough...my family was under five different flags without ever moving...we never crossed a border, the border crossed us.” – Eva Longoria (17:56)
On philanthropy:
“If you help a woman, she helps her family. If she helps her family, it improves communities, and so on and so on.” – Eva Longoria (42:30)
On tequila:
“Tequila is an art. It’s like really one of the oldest traditions in Mexico. It’s the greatest, you know, ambassador of the country.” – Eva Longoria (51:45)

Timestamps for Key Segments

[03:41] Toasting 50 with Margaritas: Birthday talk and Eva’s approach to aging.
[07:08] Family Movies and Representation: Discussion of the Disney project and importance of Latino joy in media.
[12:27] “Searching for Spain” & Food as Cultural Activism: Behind the series and Eva’s intentions.
[16:41] Exploring Genealogy: Eva traces her family’s journey from Spain to Texas.
[21:22] Childhood on the Ranch: Rural upbringing, family values, and food traditions.
[23:43] Accidental Acting Career: Winning a pageant, Los Angeles, and breaking into Hollywood.
[28:02] The Rise to Fame: Early TV jobs to Desperate Housewives stardom.
[30:32] Dealing with Fame and Privacy: Paparazzi, shifting media landscape, and social media challenges.
[37:40] Directing and Producing: Early behind-the-scenes roles and empowering underrepresented voices.
[39:45] Flamin’ Hot and Storytelling: Directorial debut, cultural significance.
[41:28] Eva Longoria Foundation and Wildfire Support: Philanthropy, Bezos Award.
[45:49] Casa Del Sol Tequila – Margarita Making: Strawberry mint margaritas, tequila trivia, and business as social impact.

Memorable Moments

Eva’s Margarita Philosophy:
“As I've learned, margarita is agave, lime, and tequila. That's all it is…It's like a vinaigrette.” (46:09)
Introducing Beyonce to Tajin:
“I introduced her to it, and then years later...she goes, tahin has changed my life.” (48:15)
On entrepreneurial joy:
“I love building things, whether it’s a brand, whether I’m cooking...and tequila is an art.” (51:45)
Groundedness from upbringing:
“Anyone who's known me for 30 years will tell you, I'm the exact same person I was then and I am now...I have a nicer house, I have a lot of shoes.” (29:32)

Final Thoughts

This episode offers not only a celebration of Eva Longoria’s career milestones and 50th birthday but also an inspiring portrait of a woman who relishes growth, cherishes her cultural heritage, and uses her platform to advance representation and empower others. Her humor and openness make the conversation lively, while her practical wisdom and big-hearted approach to philanthropy and entrepreneurship shine through.

For more candid, insightful conversations, subscribe to “Sunday Sitdown with Willie Geist” or tune in to Sunday TODAY on NBC.