Eva Longoria returns to television this week in her role on Land of Women on Apple TV+.
Longoria plays Gala, a well-to-do New York housewife whose world is turned upside down when her husband vanishes after getting their family tangled in his financial wrongdoings.
Learning that some gun-wielding hitmen are looking for her due to her husband’s unpaid debts, Gala flees the city with her mother, Julia (Carmen Maura), and teenage daughter, Kate (Victoria Bazúa). The trio escapes to La Muga, a small wine town in northern Spain that Gala’s mother left 50 years before, attempting to escape her own secrets.
Although the initial plan for the journey was to hide in plain sight, the three begin to find their true selves as time unravels.
At first glance, Gala may cause viewers to have a flashback of Longoria’s infamous Desperate Housewives character, Gabrielle Solis. While the characters share an affinity for sky-high stilettos, designer fashions and husbands who have questionable actions, Longoria said the similarities end there. “I feel like they’re complete opposites,” she told Blavity’s Shadow and Act in a recent interview.
She pointed out that while Gabrielle was so confident and used her intelligence, looks and sexuality to get what she wanted, that wasn’t the case for Gala. “I feel like Gala is very insecure. She doesn’t know what she wants. She’s just been this trophy wife in the shadow of her husband,” Longoria said. “She doesn’t have a good relationship with her daughter or mother. And so that’s what attracted me to play Gala, the arc that she was going to be on. She is not the same person in Episode 1 as in Episode 6.” Completing her analysis of Gala, Longoria said, “She’s not a survivor.”
Land of Women is inspired by award-winning author Sandra Barneda’s best-selling novel, La Tierra de las Mujeres.
The series was created by Ramón Campos, Gema R. Neira, Teresa Fernández-Valdés and Paula Fernández and directed by award-winning director Carlos Sedes. Longoria serves as executive producer via her production company, UnbeliEVAble Entertainment.
As executive producer, Longoria worked with writers to ensure the series didn’t follow the traditional trope of falling for the first man who could save her.
“I didn’t want her to land in Spain and fall in love with the first guy she sees and he solves all her problems. Hollywood’s always like, ‘if only she fell in love, everything would be OK.’ No, she has problems to deal with,” the actor said.
Gala finds one piece of her old life in the charming town’s small women-run winery, where she uses her wine expertise, and this encourages them to take a chance on mass sales.
The Cleaning Lady‘s Santiago Cabrera portrays Amat, the owner of the house Gala seeks refuge in along with her mother and daughter. The silly-to-sexy tension between the two will leave viewers hoping for a blooming romance.
“He’s definitely not looking for love, and definitely not with, like, a socialite from New York,” Cabrera told Blavity regarding Amat’s initial annoyance with Gala and her clueless disposition.
Although their drama genre categorization doesn’t evolve into romance, the support that Amat gives Gala throughout the series contributes to the fuel she needs to find her inner strength and stand on her own.
“Great stories always have people in that adverse situation where they’re put up against the wall,” he said.
“It’s incredible what you are capable of when you have everything against you. How can you come through? How can you overcome adversity?” Cabrera continued.
The emotional range of Land of Women is heightened by the series’ primarily Spanish script. Longoria revealed it was “hard work” to perfect the different rhythms and deliveries of the bilingual script. For example, Cabrera was tasked with performing with a Castilian accent, which added to the authenticity of the character.
Each episode of Land of Women presents a new reason to root for Gala and her family as they realize that no matter how far you run, you can never escape your truth.
Land of Women premieres June 26 on Apple TV+.
