After exiting her role as Isabella on The Young and the Restless, Eva Longoria moved on to the playful Gaby on Desperate Housewives. Now, she’s taken on a new role — Gala — in a new Apple TV series. Soap Hub was on the scene when Longoria offered insights to Land of Women, which she also executive produces.
From Wisteria Lane to Land of Women
Land of Women tells the story of Gala, a New Yorker, who is dealing with an empty nest. Her life is thrown into turmoil after her husband implicates the family in financial shenanigans. Gala, her mother, and her daughter flee to northern Spain. But how long can their secrets remain safe?
The situation sounds dramatic, but the story and tone allow Longoria to delve into both her comedic and dramatic sides. “To me, this is a dramedy,” the actress says. “This is more of a mix and I love that genre. When Desperate Housewives came out, people [didn’t] know what category to put us in for award shows.
“If you look at Flamin’ Hot [which Longoria directed], that’s a dramedy as well,” she says. “That’s my tone. I feel anytime you have drama, there’s [also] comedy because there’s so much funniness in truth. It’s funny because it’s true but the truth is sometimes painful.”
Longoria says that there are more differences than similarities between Gala and Gaby. “[They are] very different,” she says. “Gala is in identity crisis at the beginning of the show. Her whole life has been a lie, and she has to flee suddenly to a country she doesn’t really know, a language [she] doesn’t really speak with her mother, who may or may not have Alzheimer’s, and her daughter is in a rebellious phase, and she can’t find her husband.”
Gala is more of a problem solver and while Gaby certainly tried to get out of many scrapes, Longoria says there are ultimately more differences than similarities between the two women. “Gaby was like, ‘Everything will work out because I have a man in my life,'” the actress says. She feels that Gala is on a journey where she’s figuring out her life and will not be saved by a man.
“That’s not the solution to her problems,” Longoria adds. “With Gaby, that was always the solution to her problems. It was like, well, just get another guy!”
Land of Women was created by Ramón Campos (Grand Hôtel), inspired by award-winning author Sandra Barneda’s bestselling novel, is set to debut this summer on Apple TV.
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