We’re never one to turn down a spicy drama, and ABC’s new series executive produced by Eva Longoria is fitting the bill. Grand Hotel chronicles the soapy, steamy travails of Santiago Mendoza (Demián Bichir) and his second wife, Gigi (Roselyn Sanchez) the proprietors of the last family-owned hotel on the strip — along with their blended brood and the staff that is at their mercy.
Brian Tanen, who wrote for Devious Maids and Desperate Housewives, contemporised the Spanish series Gran Hotel on which the show is based — and with which Longoria was obsessed. The series has a stellar cast, including Anne Winters who has also appeared on 13 Reasons Why.
Speaking to Winters, we get the low-down on what Grand Hotel’s all about, and what it’s really like working with powerhouse Longoria.
“I play Ingrid, one of the hotel maids,” she tells marie claire. “I would say Ingrid doesn’t fit in much with the other characters. She is manipulative and does whatever she can to get ahead in life without putting in actual work,” Winters says. “She plays her cards right but ends up figuring out that she can’t keep up her facade forever.”
While the series has been developed with inspiration from original Spanish series Gran Hotel, Winters says Grand Hotel is a “more modern and sexy take on it.”
“It’s unlike any other TV show out there!”
As for what it’s like to work with Eva Longoria, Winters has one word: “Incredible!”
“When I booked the role, she called me to personally congratulate me,” she says. “She actually directed the first few episodes of the show just a few days after giving birth and is a great example of a massive star that continues to treat everyone with respect. I’m so happy to be on a show with Eva and to get to call her a friend.”
Watch the trailer for Grand Hotel below:
