NEW YORK — At least one desperate housewife doesn’t have to turn to her gardener to get that “glow” anymore.
Eva Longoria, who plays Gabrielle Solis on ABC’s popular Sunday night dark comedy, “Desperate Housewives,” has signed on as a L’Oréal spokeswoman to represent its array of beauty and cosmetics brands worldwide. Longoria’s debut in her new role is scheduled for May in a commercial for the Vive hair care brand.
Longoria, 30, joins a bevy of beauties contracted with the beauty giant, a division of L’Oréal USA Inc., including Beyoncé Knowles and Andie MacDowell.
Carol J. Hamilton, president and general manager for L’Oréal Paris, said the firm had been following the popularity of “Desperate Housewives” for some time and was interested in Longoria “from the beginning.” Hamilton thinks Longoria will appeal to “everyone” but it’s clear she definitely will strike a chord with the 18- to 34-year-old crowd “as well as Latinas who really look up to her,” Hamilton said.
The popularity of Longoria as a beauty icon stems from her overwhelming success in portraying a former runway model on the weekly TV series, which won a Golden Globe for Television Series, Musical or Comedy, this year. Longoria’s appeal to housewives — and the single set — came full circle when her character rebelled against her disapproving husband by having an affair with their 17-year-old gardener.
Aside from acting, Longoria, who is of Mexican descent, is the national spokeswoman for the charity Padres Contra El Cancer (Parents Against Cancer), a nonprofit Latino organization that raises money to promote education about childhood cancer and blood disorders.
“It was one of the things that impressed me upon meeting her,” said Hamilton, who added it was Longoria’s charitable nature that “deeply motivated [L’Oréal] to sign her.”
No details about the contract — either how much money Longoria will be paid or how long the contract will last — have been disclosed, but Hamilton said L’Oréal chooses its representatives with the intent of keeping the relationship long term.
Several different versions of the Vive commercial were shot last weekend in Los Angeles, Hamilton said, so “a lot of work” still needs to be done with regard to editing and choosing a version that will best portray the actress in the shampoo and conditioner spots.
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Former Vive spokeswomen include Jessica Alba, Portia de Rossi, Jessica Biel and Heather Locklear.
According to the “Desperate Housewives” link on abc.com, Longoria is a former “Young and the Restless” cast member and a winner of an ALMA Award for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama. Longoria was also voted by Variety as one of the “Ten New Faces to Watch” last fall and as one of Maxim Magazine’s “Hot 100” for 2004, the Web site said.