Gabrielle Union and Eva Longoria on being a working mother, double standards and changing the game
Eva Longoria and Gabrielle Union want to make bringing your baby to the red carpet and the office the Hollywood standard.
The two acclaimed actresses and activists spoke to Harper's Bazaar for an article that ran Thursday and both women talked about the efforts they are making to break down antiquated industry norms.
Union, 46, has taken baby Kaavia to at least three carpets now.
"Maybe four," she told the magazine. "We dress her last-minute because she’s a drooler and she pukes. It takes a village to put a baby on the red carpet."
Union is the executive producer of a show starring Jessica Alba, whom she calls a pioneer for women.
Alba "paved the way for all of us to have access to our kids," Union said.
"When I came back from maternity leave, Jess made sure my trailer had everything that hers had so Kaav could come right to set. No one’s had to make that crazy, crazy sacrifice of going back to work and just, like, leaving your kid. Jess was like, f--- that. I’m going to create the Hollywood that I’ve dreamed of and that I need,” Union said.
As for Longoria, she's a director, actress and producer. And a mother to baby boy Santi, but she doesn't let that stop her in any way.
"But it is uncommon in our industry for women to direct and produce, much less so a woman with a baby. So I do think there’s some course correcting I can do by normalizing it," she said about her role in the industry.
Longoria recently told "GMA" it's a priority to hire women and people of color in her new series "Grand Hotel."
"Once we started to hire directors, I knew I wanted female directors so we gave all the slots to women first which is never [done]," she said.
In the new Harper's interview, Union adds, "I try to empower as many marginalized voices as possible ... I challenge other people in power to do the same.”
