Exclusive: Flamin' Hot interviews with director Eva Longoria, DeVon Franklin, Jesse Garcia, Annie Gonzalez
Hitting Hulu and Disney+ on June 9 from Searchlight Pictures is Flamin’ Hot, directed by Eva Longoria and produced by DeVon Franklin. FLAMIN’ HOT is the first scripted feature to stream simultaneously on both platforms in the US. It will also be available on Disney+ internationally.
The film is the inspiring true story of Richard Montañez (Jesse Garcia) who as a Frito-Lay janitor disrupted the food industry by channeling his Mexican-American heritage to turn Flamin’ Hot Cheetos from a snack into an iconic global pop culture phenomenon.
Marking award-winning actor/director/producer Longoria’s feature directorial debut, the cast includes Jesse Garcia as Richard, Annie Gonzalez as his wife, Judy, Emilio Rivera as Richard’s father Nacho, Dennis Haysbert as Richard’s mentor, Clarence, and 4x Emmy Award winner Tony Shalhoub as PepsiCo CEO Roger Enrico. Other cast members include Matt Walsh, Bobby Soto and Pepe Serna.
The film had its world premiere at the 2023 SXSW and went on to win Best Feature Film at the 2023 Annapolis Film Festival. Blackfilmandtv.com’s Wilson Morales spoke with Longoria, Franklin, Garcia and Gonzalez on the making of the film.