Los
Angeles
(Reuters):
Eva
Longoria
is
annoyed.
The
Latina
beauty
on
hit
television
show
''Desperate
Housewives''
is
bugged
by
all
the
newspaper,
magazine
and
Web
gossip
about
her
sex
life
when
there
are
more
important
issues
to
think
about.
She
is
as
comfortable
talking
about
US
immigration
policy
and
the
plight
of
migrant
farm
workers
as
she
is
having
her
bikini-clad
body
on
a
mega-sized
magazine
cover
spread
out
in
the
Nevada
desert
so
that
it
can
be
seen
from
outer
space.
Longoria,
31,
is
a
beauty,
but
her
brain
is
big,
too,
and
she
wants
folks
to
know
it.
So
when
the
media
focus
on
her
sex
life
with
boyfriend
Tony
Parker,
as
happened
last
month,
Longoria
gets
irritated.
''It's
annoying,
absolutely,''
she
told
Reuters
ahead
of
Friday's
US
release
of
her
new
movie,
thriller
''The
Sentinel,''
in
which
she
portrays
a
rookie
US
Secret
Service
agent.
''I
respect
good
journalism.
I
respect
certain
newspapers
and
certain
publications,
and
they
are
just
watered
down
by
the
bounty
for
gossip
and
pictures
and
information
that
is
irrelevant
and
uninteresting,''
she
said.
Of
course,
a
lot
of
that
attention
comes
from
the
image
she
has
built
as
a
sexpot.
She
was
among
People
magazine's
''50
Most
Beautiful
People''
and
was
No.
1
on
Maxim
magazine's
''Hot
100''
list
of
sexy
women.
She
called
the
publicity
''flattering,''
but
added
it
was
Hollywood's
star
making
machine
talking,
not
her.
Longoria
skyrocketed
to
stardom
in
2004
in
''Desperate
Housewives''
as
the
sexy
Gabrielle
Soliz
whose
skin-tight
jeans
and
skimpy
dresses
often
raise
the
eyebrows
--
not
to
mention
the
ire
--
of
the
other
neighbourhood
wives.
The
show
premiered
on
US
TV
and
became
an
instant
hit.
It
averages
more
than
20
million
US
viewers
weekly
and
is
now
a
global
phenomenon
seen
in
200
countries.
but
beyond
the
Hollywood
glitz,
Longoria
holds
a
degree
in
kinesiology
from
Texas
A&M
University-Kingsville.
She
is
a
spokeswoman
for
Padres
Contra
el
Cancer,
which
is
dedicated
to
helping
Latino
children
with
the
disease,
and
works
with
the
United
Farm
Workers
labour
union.
She
said
it
was
''unfortunate''
that
in
the
United
States-a
nation
of
immigrants-some
lawmakers
want
to
deport
illegal
aliens
and
fence
off
the
Mexico/US
border.
''Mexicans
contribute
an
enormous
amount
to
our
society,
economically
and
socially,''
she
said.
''I
don't
think
this
administration
can
afford
to
have
things
end
badly.''
Longoria
has
politics
on
her
mind
a
lot
these
days,
in
real
life
and
in
the
movies.
In
''The
Sentinel,''
she
co-stars
with
Michael
Douglas
and
Kiefer
Sutherland.
They
play
Secret
Service
agents
who
clash
when
the
president's
life
is
threatened
by
assassins.
Longoria
is
a
sharp
rookie
who
is
teamed
with
Sutherland
in
what
is
her
first
role
in
a
major
Hollywood
movie.She
is
not
the
headlining
actress;
her
part
supports
the
male
leads.
But
Longoria
said
she
was
not
looking
to
top
movie
marquees
yet,
and
did
not
need
the
added
pressure
of
being
the
sole
star
responsible
for
the
film's
box
office.
''I
wanted
to
be
in
a
good,
ensemble
cast,''
she
said.
''It
was
an
amazing
opportunity
to
work
with
great
actors
in
a
less
stressful
environment.''
Unlike
many
actors
and
actresses
who
proclaim
that
they
do
not
plan
careers
and
that
roles
just
seem
to
come
along,
Longoria
says
she
strategises
about
her
choices.
She
graduated
from
college
with
plans
to
work
in
sports
medicine
and
become
a
trainer
for
a
professional
sports
team.
Boyfriend
Parker
is
a
star
player
for
basketball's
San
Antonio
Spurs.
Longoria
never
dreamed
of
movie
stardom
back
on
her
family's
ranch
near
the
south
Texas
town
of
Corpus
Christi.
''We
couldn't
afford
to
go
to
movies,''
she
said.
Her
fantasy
was
to
be
on
TV.
She
won
a
modelling
contest
that
sent
her
to
Hollywood
where
she
began
building
a
resume.
She
did
extra
work,
then
bit
parts
on
''Beverly
Hills
90210''
and
small
roles
on
soap
operas
like
''The
Bold
and
The
Beautiful.''
''I
planned.
It
was
definitely
intentional,''
she
said.
But
movies-not
TV-are
the
top
rung
on
the
career
ladder
for
actors
in
Hollywood,
so
after
only
one
season
on
''Desperate
Housewives,''
she
shot
''The
Sentinel''
--
during
her
summer
vacation.
Later
this
year,
fans
will
see
Longoria
in
a
low-budget
film
''Harsh
Times''
that
she
shot
over
the
Christmas
holiday.
She
portrays
a
lawyer
who
grew
up
poor
but
became
successful.
''It's
a
dark,
dark
drama.
Very
indie,''
she
said.
''Anytime
you
do
a
good
independent
film...you're
respected
in
a
circle
of
critics
and
a
circle
in
the
industry.
That
was
definitely
a
choice.''
''Harsh
Times''
is
expected
to
be
released
this
fall,
just
in
time
for
Hollywood's
Oscar
season.