Eva Longoria and Lauren Sánchez Talk Friendship and Being Latina in America

Close friends for two decades, Eva Longoria and Lauren Sánchez have had countless phone conversations over the years — but this one, to our knowledge, is the first to be recorded.

Longoria is one of this year’s recipients of the Bezos Courage & Civility Award, a massive charitable grant that Sánchez and her fiancé, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, have given to philanthropic activists over the past three years (previous recipients include Dolly Parton, José Andrés and Van Jones). Desperate Housewives The star only has 10 years left to find a worthy charitable cause to spend that money on, but luckily there’s one named after her: Eva Longoria Foundationa nonprofit organization founded in 2012 that provides Latino women and girls with educational programs, scholarships, mentorships, microloans and other support.

THR I listened in on a recent conversation between the actress and the former journalist turned billionaire’s girlfriend, two formidable forces in the world of philanthropy. While Longoria runs her own nonprofit, Sánchez is vice president of the Bezos Earth Fundwhich has pledged to spend $10 billion by 2030, among other charitable donations from the power couple.

Topics discussed include the fate of the planet, a book about a fly in space and the use of a certain $50 million check.

EVA LONGORIA I’ve known you for 20 years, so I feel like I know the answers to all these questions…

LAUREN SANCHEZ I much prefer asking the questions. That’s the journalist in me.

LONGORIE Now I’m a journalist. We switch roles. So when did your passion for giving begin? I think people think you got involved in philanthropy later in life, and I’m like, “No, she’s always been involved.” But tell me, was there a defining moment in your life?

SANCHEZ I understand that people would see that because giving – giving money – is much more important today. That’s true. So I understand that people would think that, but I think my passion for giving started very early. My grandmother was a volunteer at a local hospital and the night before we would make banana bread and hand it out to the nurses and doctors who had been working long hours. That experience really planted a seed in me.

Then when I was 30, I visited a children’s hospital that really solidified my commitment. It was with a group of doctors, they ran a team called Looking forward —and these doctors volunteered their time to help reconstruct children with facial deformities for families who couldn’t afford it. Seeing these kids demonstrate resilience and strength despite all of these challenges was that. It made me realize that I wanted to dedicate more time and resources, even at age 30, to making a difference.

Now I load up my kids and we cross the border…