MPNC / AKM-GSIEva Longoria has had an amazing year. That's just fact.
On the red carpet alone, she stole every show, making it onto countless best-dressed lists during awards season. Even her Lip Sync Battle appearance qualifies as a best-of highlight. But that was just the tip of the triumphant iceberg. Since turning 40 one year ago today (happy birthday, Eva!), the actress, producer, activist, L'Oreal spokesmodel and philanthropist has been unstoppable in all departments of life—personal and professional.
So in honor of her 41st b-day today, we wanted to take the opportunity to recap her best moments from the year just past, as well as look ahead at the similarly awesome year to come.
"Like most shows, no matter what show you're on, the drama is behind the camera," Longoria told E! News at the Screen Actors Guild Awards last month.
And she wasn't recalling her Desperate Housewives days, but rather the research she did for her single-camera NBC sitcom, Telenovela, which just wrapped its first season. (Not to say her Desperate days may not have come in handy when recalling off-camera excitement...)
Telenovela, about the goings-on behind the scenes of a Mexican soap opera (the genre being famous for being deliciously melodramatic), marks Longoria's return to the small screen in a starring role—and we're perfectly ready to call George Clooney the "male Eva Longoria" now. (The Texas native told InStyle last summer that she aspired to be the "female George Clooney" because he directs, produces and stars. I want to be in charge of the final product."
Sure enough, Longoria is an executive producer on Telenovela, as well as on the Lifetime series Devious Maids, which is coming back for a fourth season this summer.
Speaking of girl power, count Longoria among the A-listers who joined the discussion about sexism, gender inequality and the need for more diversity in Hollywood—issues that certainly aren't new but which were finally pushed to the forefront over the past year.
The actress-activist (who has also advocated for improved conditions for farm workers, appearing in and serving as an executive producer on the 2014 documentary Food Chains) was included in The New York Times' recent feature on the experiences of women and minorities in Hollywood, speaking out alongside the likes of Mindy Kaling and Priyanka Chopra to discuss what it's like to work in showbiz "if you're not a straight, white man."
"Some white male casting director was dictating what it meant to be Latin," Longoria recalled. "He decided I needed an accent. He decided I should [have] darker-colored skin. The gatekeepers are not usually people of color, so they don't understand you should be looking for way more colors of the rainbow within that one ethnicity."
"We're the fastest-growing demographic in the United States, but I don't want us to just be a large group," she said in the aforementioned interview with InStyle. "We have to be influential. We have to stand for something."
Done and done. Longoria, who completed her master's degree in Chicano Studies a few years ago, was also honored with the Harvard University Artist of the Year Award in 2015 for her achievements and contributions to the expansion of diversity in film and TV.
Source: Eva Longoria Receives 2015 Harvard Artist of the Year Medal | Eva Longoria : Just Jared | http://www.justjared.com/2015/02/22/eva-longoria-receives-2015-harvard-artist-of-the-year-medal/?trackback=tsmclip
Visit:Just Jared | Twitter | Facebook
Source: Eva Longoria Receives 2015 Harvard Artist of the Year Medal | Eva Longoria : Just Jared | http://www.justjared.com/2015/02/22/eva-longoria-receives-2015-harvard-artist-of-the-year-medal/?trackback=tsmclip
Visit:Just Jared | Twitter | Facebook
Source: Eva Longoria Receives 2015 Harvard Artist of the Year Medal | Eva Longoria : Just Jared | http://www.justjared.com/2015/02/22/eva-longoria-receives-2015-harvard-artist-of-the-year-medal/?trackback=tsmclip
Visit:Just Jared | Twitter | Facebook
But let's stop pretending we're not also super-psyched for Eva because of that other little huge moment from thsi past year...
The star got engaged in December to media mogul Jose Antonio Baston after more than two years of dating, her beau blowing her mind with a surprise proposal in the Dubai desert. The Univision exec set the mood with red rugs and plush couches, and a pathway adorned with rose petals. They had a picnic and music played as they drank champagne—a scene fit for a queen!
Oh, and then there's the whole genetically blessed thing, but that's nothing new...
Anyway, 40 was undoubtedly one of Longoria's most exciting and successful years yet, and we can't wait to see what 41 brings.
Well, perhaps a wedding (or elopement, if the bride-to-be gets her way), but since Eva Longoria is one to always entertain and inspire, we know there will be so much more for all to enjoy.
(NBC and E! Online are both members of the NBCUniversal family.)