"We couldn't afford to go to movies," she said.

Her fantasy was to be on TV. She won a modelling contest that sent her to Hollywood where she began building a resume. She did extra work, then bit parts on Beverly Hills 90210 and small roles on soap operas like The Young and the Restless.

"I planned. It was definitely intentional," she said.

But movies -- not TV -- are the top rung on the career ladder for actors in Hollywood, so after only one season on Desperate Housewives, she shot The Sentinel -- during her summer vacation.

Later this year, fans will see Longoria in a low-budget film Harsh Times that she shot over the Christmas holiday. She portrays a lawyer who grew up poor but became successful.

"It's a dark, dark drama. Very indie," she said. "Anytime you do a good independent film ... you're respected in a circle of critics and a circle in the industry. That was definitely a choice." Harsh Times is expected to be released this fall, just in time for Hollywood's Oscar season.