Eva Longoria directed a telling story about a popular food snack and Latino culture.
CNN’s Rick Damigella was able to sit down with the talent behind “Flamin’ Hot,” a biopic about former Frito-Lay marketer Richard Montañez, based in part on his book “A Boy, A Burrito and A Cookie.”
While the flavor of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos was at the center of the story, Latino culture and family are at its heart.
“I honestly knew when I came on to direct this, that my superpower was knowing my community,” said Longoria. “Like I was like, oh oh this movie I know like I got it. And so every detail in the movie from the Tapatío on the table to the music playing in the kitchen to uh the costume design.”
She said, “It was a joy to finally show the world that our community is beautiful and full of people that are, are, are faith-based and um hard working and family oriented, you know, we’re not just the negative stereotypes you see in the news.”
“I’ve never met someone who’s that specific and that skilled,” said Annie Gonzalez, the actress playing Montaño’s wife. “She made it a point to have as many department heads as she could be Latino to authenticate the story, you know, she has a Master’s in Chicano studies like she knew what had to go into it. She knew that it’s important for us to tell our stories so that they transcend and break cultural barriers.”
In the trailer, a little boy says the crunchy snack burns good, and that’s what Longoria hopes for when the movie debuts on Disney+ and Hulu on Friday.
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