« Flamin’ Hot » star Jesse Garcia discusses working with director Eva Longoria, the importance of Latino projects, and the controversy over the Flamin’ Hot Cheeto.
The first time Jesse Garcia (“Quinceañera,” “Narcos: Mexico”) learned about Richard Montañez — the former Frito-Lay executive who’s said that he invented the wildly successful Flamin’ Hot Cheetos brand when he was working as a janitor for the company — the actor immediately thought, “That would be an awesome movie.” Years later, Eva Longoria cast Garcia to play Montañez for her feature directing debut, “Flamin’ Hot,” which premieres June 9 on Hulu and Disney+.
The film, produced by DeVon Franklin (“Breakthrough,” “Miracles From Heaven”), covers Richard’s life from his difficult childhood to his marriage to his high school sweetheart Judy (Annie Gonzalez) to his rise at Frito-Lay. For Garcia, it was an all-too-rare opportunity to depict the real-life story of a Latino family in a mainstream feature film.
“Non-Latino projects, they have the luxury of failing,” Garcia says. “But if our work doesn’t work — or if for some reason is not successful — it’s a struggle to get the next project. That’s why ‘Flamin’ Hot’ was so super, super important to Eva, to me, to DeVon, to the rest of the creative team. If we make this movie as a success, [the studio execs] go, ‘OK, let’s see more. Let’s see more of Jesse. Let’s see more of Annie. Let’s see more of what Eva can do. It works. It makes money. People want to see it.’”
Right before production on “Flamin’ Hot” began in 2021, however, the Los Angeles Times published a story that alleged that Montañez did not invent the Flamin’ Hot Cheeto, after an internal investigation at Frito-Lay reportedly revealed that not only had another unit of the company developed the product instead, but the company had no documentary proof that Montañez had been involved in its creation and test marketing.
After Montañez disputed the L.A. Times story — telling Variety in 2021 that he did meet with then-PepsiCo CEO Roger Enrico to pitch a version of the product he developed in his home — Frito-Lay subsequently expressed support for Montañez, saying the company “had no reason to doubt” Montañez’s account.
The filmmakers of “Flamin’ Hot” did amend the script to acknowledge the work of the separate division of Frito-Lay. But, in his conversation with Variety, Garcia says that while he had some immediate concerns about the future of the movie when the L.A. Times story first broke, Montañez assured the actor that he had a “paper trail” that supported his account.
In a statement to Variety for this story, Montañez also says he has “letters, notes and presentations” that back him up.
“PepsiCo, my home for over 40 years, wasn’t just a job; it was a place where leaders like Roger Enrico, Steve Reinemund, Al Carey, and Indra Nooyi believed in a janitor with ideas,” Montañez says. “They saw what I could be, and I’ll forever be grateful. I’ve got letters, notes, and presentations, proving their faith in me and my creation. ‘Flamin’ Hot’ is based on what I know and that’s my story; my personal journey and what the power of determination and hard work can do. I believe it’s a story worth sharing.”
As a film, “Flamin’ Hot” does not dwell on this controversy, focusing instead on depicting how Montañez fought to build a life for himself and his family. Garcia spoke with Variety about what it was like to have Montañez on set while filming, why he loves working with Longoria as a director and as an actor, and why he was so confident that he would be cast in the role.
Were you a fan of the Flamin’ Hot Cheeto before this movie?
When I was younger. I’m having to be careful about this: I eat very, very, very clean. Very rarely do I eat, uh, accessory foods, I’ll call it. But there was a point in time where I liked Cheetos.
How did you hear about this role?
All my friends who auditioned for the role, so many of them called me or texted me: “Hey, I don’t know if you’ve read for this movie yet, I just read for it, but this is your movie.
