As she takes on her latest role alongside George Clooney, the actress tells Joe Bromley about hitting the half century — and her best friends, the Beckhams
When I find myself sitting opposite Eva Longoria, glowing under the studio lights of a lavish suite in the Aman Hotel in New York, the circumstances could be better.
Wildfires continued to tear through LA. Just hours before, news broke the actress, 49, who made her name in 2005 starring in Desperate Housewives, had donated one million dollars (£819,000) to aid those affected; part of the 50 million dollar (£41 million) Courage and Civility Award she received from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos in March, to support the Latino Community Foundation (LCF) and the California Community Foundation’s wildlife recovery fund.
She is visibly shaken by the unfolding events, and is quick to explain her trip to the Big Apple to launch a new campaign for Nespresso, in which she stars in a murder mystery short alongside George Clooney, Camille Cottin, and Kim Go Eun, is to be kept brief so she can return to help.
But work calls, and Longoria is the spotless professional as she launches into her appreciation of coffee — “I love them all!” she trills. “I love an espresso, a cortado, a macchiato, a cappuccino.” She professes her adventurousness: “Mexico’s coffee is different from Spain’s coffee, which is different from French coffee — it’s different from the UK, where you guys love tea,” before confirming her choice of milk: “full fat, whole.” Oh, and as for Clooney: “His energy, his kindness, he’s so sweet,” she says. “We filmed in Rome for three days, what’s not to like?”
There is no doubt Longoria, who is also known for her turn in US series Only Murders in the Building and a bona-fide A-lister with 10.3 million Instagram followers, looks fantastic. Her skin glows while her “espresso inspired” sequin midi skirt shimmers. In March she will celebrate her 50th birthday; a milestone she welcomes with open arms. “The age doesn’t scare me,” she says. “I think, 50? OK, whatever. I just want to age well, to be healthy, and be able to run around and work out and play with my son.” Longoria has one child, Santiago Enrique Bastón, aged six, with her producer husband José Antonio “Pepe” Bastón.
