Los Angeles, CA – J.M. Longoria is set to make his mark in the highly anticipated faith-based film Miracles From Heaven directed by Patricia Riggen (The 33). Longoria gives a funny and heartwarming performance in the Sony Pictures film which is set to release on March 16th. Being part of a amazing cast which includes Jennifer Garner, Queen Latifah, and Eugenio Derbez is just the icing on the cake.
Based on the book Three Miracles From Heaven by Christy Beam, the story revolves around a young girl suffering from a rare digestive disorder who is miraculously cured after surviving a terrible accident. The buzz on the film bodes well for the box office. In the first 24 hours of the trailer being released it garnered 85 million views. Since then it has broken records and it currently views has of well over 150 million views and counting.
Longoria, who was born and raised in La Grulla, Texas, tells us he plays a “miracle” in the film alongside Queen Latifah. With our interest piqued, we just had to dig a little deeper and find out more about his role and also talk to him about his current role in season two of Sin Vergüenza, the webseries.
“I am incredibly humbled to be part of two amazing projects: Miracles From Heaven and Sin Vergüenza,” he said. “Each of these roles goes beyond mere entertainment. They will give audiences hope and help to make a difference in their lives. As an actor, that’s a blessing”.
Latin Heat: You say you play a miracle in Miracles From Heaven. Can you explain that?
J.M. Longoria: Ha ha. It’s weird to think that, but I do play a miracle. There are three or four of us, Queen Latifah included. I think we all know the term to mean an unexplainable event or act caused by the grace of God. If you really think about it, we are all miracles. The characters and the message of this film helps us remember that; that we are alive, that we are in this life together, and that there is hope.
LH: Tell us about landing the role of “the airline ticket attendant” in Miracles From Heaven? What was the process like?
J.M.: Well as you may know, the casting process for films can take several months. This was the same. The only difference was that my auditions were all through self-tape submissions. Meaning, I never actually met with Patricia, our director, in person. My final callback, self-tape submissions was a bit exhausting and stressful. I was traveling back to LA from Texas and my flight had to make an emergency landing. Luckily everything was okay. But my second flight was then delayed by about four hours, and when I finally did arrive in LA, my luggage was lost. Let’s just say I almost had a nervous breakdown. But when I took a deep breath and observed everything that was happening, I was actually placed in the situation which is opposite of what occurs to my character in my scenes in the movie. Talk about an in-depth character study! Luckily casting allowed me to put myself on tape the next day. I used everything from my nightmare of a flight experience and then a few weeks later, I got the call that I had booked the role. I guess it was meant to be.
LH: What was it like to work with director Patricia Riggen?
J.M.: I really, really enjoyed working with Patricia. I was a little nervous at first, because she told me she had seen several hundred actors for my role and that she needed me to bring my A-game. No pressure to perform, right?! Ha ha. No, but I had a blast and it was definitely an incredible experience. Patricia is very clear on what she wants but at the same time she’s an actor’s director. She allowed me to improve and even collaborate over dialogue that needed to be changed based on our surroundings. So, that was pretty cool!
LH: Do you have any fun stories you could share from being on the set of Miracles From Heaven?
J.M.: I thought it was hilarious that when I first met Queen Latifah in the hair/makeup trailer, she was so excited to meet me. ME?! I was excited to meet her! She then hugged me and told me she loved my character’s storyline. Queen Latifah even gave me some words of advice, “You go out there today and kill it!” So I did. Haha. She’s great!
LH: Tell us about your current gig on the 2nd season of the webseries Sin Verguenza.
J.M.: It revolves around a Mexican-American family who is forced to deal with the consequences of infidelity, unprotected sex, sexually transmitted diseases, and HIV. Season 1 won the 2013 Imagen-Award for “Best Web Series: Informational or Reality”. I can’t wait for everyone to see season two of Sin Vergüenza. It is incredible! I still play Enrique Salazar, who is the openly gay son in a traditional Mexican-American family. My character’s storyline this season has such a great arc because it explores Enrique’s personal interests all while trying to keep his family together. There are also a few heavy scenes. But I’m very fortunate that the material allows me to explore different sides of Enrique that I haven’t explored before.
LH: This show is an award-winning webseries. Why is this show special?
J.M.: This whole experience has been truly a blessing! I love this cast, crew, and client (AltaMed). There are very few sets in Hollywood that are fun, grounded, and ego-free. Everyone shows up to set feeling grateful for the work they are doing and excited about the people they are getting to work with. It’s such a great energy! We even call each other “sister” or “dad” when the cameras stop rolling. Somos una familia unida! Plus, the fact that we get to entertain and also educate our community on safe sex practices and HIV awareness gives so much meaning to our work. We are making a difference not only on how Latinos are perceived in media, but on how we can help improve the health of our people.
LH: Do you believe in miracles?
J.M.: I’m a very spiritual person. I was raised in a traditional Mexican-American, Catholic household. So I do have a religious foundation and I have my personal connection to God. I’m also a strong believer that everything happens for a reason. Thus, I do believe in miracles. Miracles happen everyday. We just have to be open to accept them.
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