This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Eva Longoria, a 51-year-old actor, producer, director, and entrepreneur who lives between Spain, Mexico, and the US. It has been edited for length and clarity.
I’m an actor who started in my early 20s. I never imagined it as a career growing up, but after entering a talent contest, I decided to move to LA and give acting a real shot.
My first professional acting jobs were on television. One of my first major TV roles was on “The Young and the Restless.” My breakout role came soon after, as Gabrielle Solis on “Desperate Housewives.”
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At this point in my career, I’m focused on Hyphenate Media Group, a next-generation media company I cofounded that develops, produces, and invests in culture-defining premium film, television, and digital content.
Here’s a day in my life.
I wake up around 5 a.m. with my son, Santi
He’s basically my alarm clock. I get up, get dressed, and the first thing I do is make him fresh tortillas every morning.
Then I drink a glass of water before heading to my workout.
I usually work out around 5:30 a.m.
During my hourlong workout, I like to mix it up with heavy strength training and functional movement. I love to bounce and walk. I change my routine pretty often, but consistency is what really matters. It’s less about doing the perfect workout and more about showing up every day.
I use amino acids and supplements for training. After that, I have the same breakfast every morning: boiled eggs — no yolk — and turkey sausage.
I eat breakfast in the car with Santi
While I drive him to school, I also drink my water with electrolytes and creatine.
I wear a lot of different hats. My days vary depending on what I’m doing because I’m an entrepreneur at heart, so I’m constantly working on different projects.
I head to the office by 9 a.m.
After dropping Santi off, I’ll head to the office. It takes me about an hour. If I have meetings — which I often do — I’ll be driven so I can work in the car. Sometimes I take Waymo rides to make it easier.
In the car, I do Zooms, take calls, and answer emails. I also have a lot of Zooms in the morning because I do a lot of work in Europe, and the time difference is hard when I’m in LA.
I try to stack everything early and be very efficient so that once I’m home, I can actually be present.
I take a lot of meetings
When I’m in the office, I’m jumping between meetings about rewrites or reviewing scripts that come in for film development. Every meeting is different.
When the team is all together in the same room, we brainstorm. Sometimes our meetings are development meetings, writer meetings, or pitches. We’re in the middle of a lot of pitches right now.
We also have branding meetings constantly — I think we had eight brands come through recently for branded content we’re producing.
We have our unscripted side and our scripted side, so I’m meeting with our unscripted executives to go over the slate — who we’re selling to, what stage it’s at, whether it’s sold, pitching, in production, or in post.
When I’m directing, I sometimes shoot 12-hour days
When I’m directing, it feels like full steam ahead. Call time is often 6 a.m., so on those days, I wake up around 4 a.m. to work out at 4:30 a.m. and leave the house by 5:30 a.m. We usually have 12-hour shoots. I don’t like running sets that are longer than 12 hours.
On “Desperate Housewives,” we would sometimes shoot for 17 or 18 hours. The 18-hour days are gone. People need to go home to their families. You have to have a civilized life. When I shoot in places like Spain or France, there are rules that you can’t go above certain hours, and I love that.
When we’re shooting, I sometimes stop and realize I haven’t eaten all day. My assistant literally has to keep me fed and make sure I’m drinking water.
I go through two big bottles of water a day when I’m on set. Things always feel a bit crazy when I’m directing.
Soccer teams, investments, and building businesses
I also spend time on my other projects — my soccer teams, investments, and entrepreneurial work.
I’m an investor in several soccer clubs, including Angel City FC, Club Necaxa, and La Equidad in Bogotá, Colombia. I recently had meetings about creative for Club Necaxa and the work we’re doing with La Equidad.
I believe small businesses are what power the world economy. They create the jobs, so anything that helps them access capital, guidance, or infrastructure — I want to be part of that.
No matter the project, I write everything down
I still write everything down. I love physically writing notes. If I don’t write something down, I’ll forget it.
I’ll use my phone notes sometimes, but I prefer paper. I like to physically jot down what I have to do that day.
I try to be fully present when I’m with my son
At the end of the day, I try really hard to make sure I’m fully present when I’m with my son.
On an office day, I try to be out by three to pick up Santi from school. I don’t like walking in the door with my phone in my hand.
Once I’m home, I play with Santi
Then I cook dinner, and we eat at 5 p.m. Next is bath time, books, and bedtime. That time is 100% his.
I definitely enjoy a great glass of wine, a fresh baguette, and, of course, tequila. I really believe in balance. I say you should enjoy the things you love.
I am, however, militant about my sleep.
I’m usually in bed by 8:30 p.m., and I’m out by 9
I always tell people: don’t send me an email you need me to look at at night, because I won’t see it until the morning.
My weekends are all about family. I love spending time with my son, cooking, working out, getting together with friends, being outdoors, and slowing down whenever I can. If I’m not working, I’m happiest around a table with family, sharing a great meal.
