Eva puts on her political activism hat in Dubai trip

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) The Global Gift Gala gives Eva Longoria an opportunity to highlight her political activism

When you’ve watched an actor play a part on screen for so many years one may be forgiven for assuming they possess similar characteristics to their fictional alter-ego. Featuring in hit series Desperate Housewives for eight years as the scheming superficial yet gutsy Gabrielle ‘Gabby’ Solis Eva Longoria is one of those actors that upon meeting them dispels such a notion. Yes she is gutsy but what you actually find is an erudite socially astute philanthropic individual. In Dubai on Sunday to chair the Global Gift Gala the Dubai International Film Festival’s annual charitable evening City Times met Eva at title sponsor Marina Home Interior’s Mall of the Emirates store. There she explained the proceeds of the auction/entertainment extravaganza would be directed to many different causes among them her eponymous foundation which makes money available for education and entrepreneurial schemes for women in the third world. “I come from a family of very strong women. I have nine aunts and 23 female cousins. I have three sisters and no brothers. There are no men in our family” she said when asked about the origins of her foundation. “I didn’t have to look far for a role model. All the women in my family were educated independent and successful. I was the last person in my family to get a Master’s degree so I am the underachiever.” Gender equality was obviously a major factor growing up which is where Eva’s desire to spread the opportunities she was afforded originated she added. “I think it’s a human responsibility to be involved in something. Whether it’s giving back or having compassion or just being aware of your community and what’s happening. I think that’s everyone’s responsibility not just famous people.” When it comes to equal opportunities between the sexes in her chosen line of work Hollywood however Eva is fully aware that the industry requires much improvement. Sadly this is also the case in a number of workplaces. “[In the movie business] Women age out quicker than men. They get paid less. But it happens everywhere. In the US women make 76 cents for every dollar a man makes. There is a lot of work we need to do. “A lot of problems we have in Hollywood are because we don’t have enough females behind the camera. We don’t have enough directors or writers. The stories you want to tell therefore don’t get made. I encourage women to become filmmakers to put the stories out there you want to see.” Eva has put her money where her mouth is producing four films since 2010 all of them fostering she says traditionally female-centric topics including “love divorce or marriage childrearing and friendship” but also at times setting a political agenda. Though it is perhaps away from the glare of the flashbulbs where it could be argued Eva is most active in the activism domain. She was a co-chair for Barack Obama’s re-election campaign in 2012 initiated the Latino Victory Project to engage Latin-Americans in politics earlier this year and is a supporter of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers. Does she feel that there is too much pressure for celebrities to support a cause “It’s what I do so it’s no pressure for me. If you have influence it can be a dangerous thing if you’re not informed on the issues. If you’re not literate on what is happening you could say the wrong thing and mislead

people. I make it a point to make sure I am educated on any issue I’m passionate about the policy as it affects people and the change it would create if I say something.