Actress and activist Eva Longoria is becoming a one-woman media mogul. While she may be best known for her work on-screen, Longoria is becoming a force off-screen as well. Earlier this year she was part of a group of Hispanic boldface names buying a group of radio stations from TelevisaUnivision, and her production company Unbelievable Entertainment also struck a deal with iHeartMedia to produce a slate of podcasts for its My Cultura network. Longoria is teaming up with fellow actress Dania Ramirez in the latest podcast to launch. It is a scripted series in which both actresses will star and executive produce.
The podcast is titled Sisters of the Underground. The eight-episode scripted series tells the true story of the courageous Latina siblings, known as the Mirabal sisters, whose lifelong activism in the Dominican Republic and state-orchestrated assassination led to the downfall of one of the most brutal and enduring dictators of the 20th Century, Rafael Trujillo – otherwise known as El Jefe (the boss).
"I’m so excited for listeners to hear the incredible story of the Mirabal sisters in this captivating and immersive format,” said Longoria. “They are true heroes and their story is an important example of the strong need for all of our community’s stories to be heard, seen, and celebrated.”
The story is set in the Dominican Republic, and in a nod toward authenticity, the podcast features a team of Dominican writers and actors. The cast includes Judy Reyes (Minerva Mirabal), Celinés Toribio (Dédé Mirabal), Sharlene Taulé (Maria Teresa Mirabal), Akari Endo (Patria Mirabal), Sergio Carlo (Manolo), Hemky Madera as (Trujillo) and Dania Ramirez as Minou Taváres Mirabal (Narrator).
Ramirez says they were also given the freedom to bring on a Dominican writer and director, Jose Maria Cabral, and Dominican/American co-writer Mary Castellanos.
“We are proud to have assembled an incredibly talented team of Dominican actors and writers to help tell this story in the most authentic and fresh way possible and to continue giving Latinx stories a platform to shine,” said Longoria.
“It has been such a pleasure to work with Eva, Dania and the rest of this wonderful cast and crew to bring such an important story in Latinx history to life,” said Gisselle Bances, SVP/Head of Production and Development for My Cultura. “It was important to us to tell this story of our Dominicana freedom fighters in an authentic way by including Dominican actors. I’m thrilled to share the inspiring story of the Mirabal Sisters, that isn’t talked about in history class, with our global audience and to continue to expand our mission to amplify Latinx voices and stories.”
The podcast, which was also created in association with School of Humans Audio Productions, debuts today (August 31).
The podcast is the second of three original shows created by Longoria and her Unbelievable Entertainment for the My Cultura Network, joining Connections with Eva Longoria which launched earlier this year. The next show to come from the partnership is Hungry for History which features Longoria and Maite Gomez-Rejón exploring the origins of some of the most delicious dishes and ingredients from Hispanic culture.