Eva Longoria’s Flamin’ Hot debuts on both Hulu and Disney+ on Friday, bringing the story of Richard Montañez, the man largely responsible for bringing the iconic Flamin’ Hot Cheetos snack to market to life. Now, two of the film’s stars are opening up about their initial reaction to being pitched the film that, while on some level is about Cheetos, is about a whole lot more. Speaking with ComicBook.com Dennis Haysbert and Matt Walsh reveal that they had very different reactions when they first heard about the film, but that they both came to the same conclusion about Flamin’ Hot being an important story about far more than just snacks.
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“I’ve kind of known about the script a little bit. I just finished a movie with Eva. We were acting as a husband-and-wife couple and she had been preparing for this movie,” Walsh said. “So, I had seen everything form bits of auditions to sets to locations to the script. So, I was aware of the heart of it and the level of like, it’s an exploration of Hispanic culture in America really. I didn’t have like a first impression. I had multiple like, peeks into it, so I had a lot of understanding.”
For Haysbert, it took a little more time to fully understand what the heart of Flamin’ Hot was all about, but once he did, he saw the story about so much more than Cheetos.
“When I first heard about it, I said, ‘really gonna do a movie about Cheetos?’ And when I got to set, I realized that it wasn’t about Cheetos,” he said. “It’s about life, love family. Invention, and these people, with Jesse playing Richard I said, ‘man, this is a fascinating story.’ It’s really fascinating. I started getting into it. And I said, ‘damn this is gonna be good.’ You know, it’s funny, it’s pathos, it’s sad, some parts of it made me angry. And I said, this is what your tagline should be: Flamin’ Hot. It’s not about Cheetos.”
What is Flamin’ Hot About?
As Walsh and Haysbert suggest, Flamin’ Hot is the story of Richard Montanez, the Frito Lay janitor who was instrumental in bringing Flamin’ Hot Cheetos to market. Montanez workshopped the idea and ultimately moved up the ranks to an executive position within Frito Lay. It’s a story that producer DeVon Franklin said is one that he knew would resonate and inspire audience when he first heard about it years ago.
“From the moment I found Richard Montañez’s story seven years ago, I knew it would resonate with and inspire audiences everywhere,” Franklin said. “I’m so grateful to Searchlight, Hulu, and now Disney+ for giving us this historic opportunity to bring his uplifting true story to over 200 million subscribers around the world.’
The Flamin’ Hot Cheetos Story Was Once Mired in Controversy
While the story of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and Montanez is set to be an inspiring one, it’s also one that has had its share of controversy. In 2021, an expose was run that suggested his claims were nothing more than urban legend. However, PepsiCo, the parent company of Frito-Lay, the company that in turn owns Cheetos, jumped in and supported Montañez and his claim, acknowledging his part of a larger team helping to develop the spicy snack.
“A great deal has been recently discussed about the origin of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. The information we shared with the media has been misconstrued by some, which resulted in confusion around where we stand, a range of emotions among our employees and consumers and a strain on our valued friendship with Richard Montañez and the Latino community,” Pepsi’s final statement on the matter said.
You can check out the official description of Flamin’ Hot as follows: “FLAMIN’ HOT is the inspiring story of Richard Montañez, the Frito Lay janitor who channeled his Mexican American heritage and upbringing to turn the iconic Flamin’ Hot Cheetos into a snack that disrupted the food industry and became a global pop culture phenomenon.”
The film stars Jesse Garcia, Dennis Haysbert, Annie Gonzalez, Tony Shalhoub, Emilio Rivera, Matt Walsh, Pepe Serna, Bobby Soto, Jimmy Gonzalez, Vanessa Martinez, Brice Gonzalez, Fabian Alomar, Hunter Jones, and Mario Ponce.
Flamin’ Hot debuts on both Hulu and Disney+ on Friday, June 9th.
