January 11, 2005
Make way for Mama
Ex-El Pasoan basks in 'Desperate' role
By Leonard Martinez
El Paso Times
As the TV show "Desperate Housewives" began to hit its stride, one woman stole the show from the younger cast.
Lupe Ontiveros, a former El Pasoan, guest-starred as Mama Solis, the mother-in-law of Gabrielle Solis, played by Eva Longoria.
It was an experience that Ontiveros enjoyed immensely.
"The producer called me and said they were writing this character for me," Ontiveros said in a phone interview. "That woman is written incredibly delicious. She's a middle-aged Latina who completely blows these women away because she doesn't fit stereotypes."
In the story line, Mama Solis visits her son and daughter-in-law and soon finds out Gabrielle is having an affair. Along the way, she reveals herself as an experienced gambler.
Northeast resident Pam Cook has been a fan of the show because of its realistic stories.
She said she can relate to some of the issues Felicity Huffman's character, Lynette Scavo, has to deal with as the mother of four children.
Cook said Ontiveros' character was right on the money.
"She is so typical of a mother-in-law, especially one who has a son and she thinks he can do no wrong," Cook said.
The future of Mama Solis is up in the air because she is in a coma. She was hit by a car soon after catching her daughter-in-law in the midst of her affair.
Cook expects to see Mama Solis again.
"She's too good of a character," Cook said. "She has to come back. Maybe we'll see her come back protecting her son. I don't think we've seen the end of her."
Ontiveros compared and contrasted her character to some of the younger housewives.
"She's a lot like Marcia Cross' character (Bree Van De Kamp) in that she will fight to the end to protect her family," Ontiveros said. "She's quite the opposite of Susan (Mayer, played by Teri Hatcher). Susan is passive and kind of missing the boat until it hits her right in the face."
Ontiveros said the writing makes the show stand out.
"Every scene was so well-written, so on the money, so precise and so well- conceived," Ontiveros said.
The show's fans have told her which of her scenes they liked the best.
"It's funny how people react to different scenes," Ontiveros said. "They'll tell me, 'You're a no-nonsense woman, I love when you beat them at their game of gambling. There's nothing they can do to you because you've done it all.' "
Ontiveros said she is hopeful that her portrayal of this strong Hispanic woman will open the door for other actresses.
"Hopefully, we, who some might call us pioneers, that are still struggling in doing these kinds of roles will make it safe for them to write more characters like this," Ontiveros said.
One of the show's strengths is that it is built around an ensemble cast and not one central character, Ontiveros said.
"That formula has worked so well before," Ontiveros said. "It comes from the shows like 'Dynasty' and 'Melrose' and it lends itself to a diversity of writing."
Cook said she likes the multiple story lines because they are indicative of soap operas, which she also enjoys.
Westsider Courtney Butterworth tunes into the show because of the fashion, especially what Susan wears. She also enjoys the stories.
"It stands out because it's risky, especially for older women. It's an escape from reality," Butterworth said. "It's like an adult 'O.C.' I don't think the stories are that believable. Like I don't think my mom's sleeping with one of my friends, but I guess you never know. It's just fun to watch those things on the show."
The popularity of the show and her character has amazed Ontiveros.
"It seems like I've crossed all barriers with this," Ontiveros said. "The mayor of Houston, city council people, they've all come up to me to talk about the show. They'll say 'My wife loves the show' and I tell them, 'You love it too, admit it.' Males are watching the show too, which is great."
Westsider Javier Guerra isn't ashamed to say he likes watching the show.
"It's hilarious and very interesting," Guerra said.
"It's one of the best shows I've seen in a while. With TV shows, it's always been what the male thought, and here it's being told from the female point of view. You ask yourself, 'Is that really what they're thinking?' "
In classic soap opera style, the show's writers leave it up to the imagination if Ontiveros' character will wake up from her coma.
"People see me in a coma, and they ask me what will happen," Ontiveros said.
"I would certainly love to come out of it and kick some more butt. They should bring her back at the most inopportune time for Gabrielle.
"One of your deepest fears is what is going on in the mind of your mother-in-law."
Ontiveros then thought what must be going through Gabrielle's mind, which could turn the heat up on the scorching show even more:
" 'Does this old broad remember what I did and if she does, what is she going to do with me?' "
All about Lupe • Ontiveros is a graduate of El Paso High School and lives outside Los Angeles.
• She portrayed Doña Carmen in the movie "Real Women Have Curves" for which the Sundance Film Festival rewarded her with a Special Jury prize for acting.
• She voices the character of Abuela Elena on the animated TV show "Maya & Miguel" on PBS. "She's a really sweet and energetic kind of abuelita, very realistic," Ontiveros said. "She's very sharing and giving. She goes to baseball games; she teaches them about our culture."
Trish, I'm compiling a bibliography of "Texas Historical and Literary Blogs," got 75 so far, and yours is one. I'll be publishing it as the August issue of my e-journal "Will's Texana Monthly." With whom can I email about that? Thanks, Will
Posted by: Will Howard | July 23, 2008 at 06:39 AM