A disputed claim. Now there is a movie. ‘Flamin’ Hot’ is now streaming on Hulu and Disney Plus

Author and businessman Richard Montañez is best known for his claim of inventing Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, a boast disputed by Frito-Lay based on an internal investigation and reported by the Los Angeles Times in a 2021 article that Montañez was not involved in creating the product line.

But what can’t be debunked is Montañez’s rise from janitor to top executive.

Montañez is now the subject behind the biopic comedy-drama ‘Flamin’ Hot,’ the directorial debut by actress Eva Longoria. The movie was released on June 9 on Hulu and Disney+.

The movie is based on Montañez’ memoir ‘A Boy, a Burrito and a Cookie: From Janitor to Executive’ and the life stories of him and his wife, Judy.

The film stars Jesse García as Montañez, Annie Gonzalez as Judy, Emilio Rivera as Vacho Montañez, Dennis Haysbert, and Tony Shalhoub.

Montañez spent some time with García but didn’t give him any pointers on how to portray him on the film.

“He just studied the script, and he nailed it because I’m in the script, so there’s no need to study me because Linda (Yvette Chávez the screenwriter did such a fantastic job,” said Montañez during a June 1 interview with Vida en el Valle.

“If you read the script, you read me. And that’s what he did and that’s what he promised me,” he said.

Montañez said García reminded him “of when I was a kid, you know. And he took me back on, you know, I was able to overcome all these obstacles.

“And you know, reminded me that I don’t care who you are everybody deserves a second chance. And that’s what I got,” Montañez said.

Montañez retired from PepsiCo in March 2019 during an internal investigation into his claim.

Montañez said he was very involved in ‘Flamin’ Hot’ from spending time with the script writers to spending time with Longoria, who is “family” to him.

“We had our recommendations to who we wanted to, you know, to be in the movie. We left it all up to them,” Montañez said. “But you know, they always, very respectful, they always came to me and said, ‘you know, what do you think of this person.’”

Montañez said the casting director picked the right actors.

“My God, I don’t know how she did it,” Montañez said. “It was a team effort. I guess that’s what happens when you have everybody involved versus just one decision maker.”

You can even watch Montañez, and his wife Judy make a cameo in the movie.

“If I remember I think it was planned since the beginning,” Montañez said. “And you probably don’t know this, but three of my grandkids have a cameo on it too.”

Montañez said his wife asked Longoria to do something for her and have her grandkids be in the movie.

“And she said done deal,” Montañez said.

“It was a great experience, you know. I’m a businessman, you know, I’ve spoken all over the world, but I’m not an actor. So, when it came to that little part, I was nervous,” Montañez said in between laughs.

Montañez said he has a lot of respect for the actors in the movie.

“I saw what they went through. I’m just like, wow. What an amazing talent our cast has,” he said.

Montañez said he is not only excited about ‘Flamin’ Hot’ streaming on Hulu and Disney Plus but happy about how it turned out.

“I’m happy that you know, this is your story, you know, it’s just not my story. This is your family story. This is your dad’s story. Your brother. You know your mom. Your tía,” Montañez said. “I don’t care what color you are, what gender you are this is going to make you feel like this is your story.”

Montañez said Longoria Is not only talented, but she is also a visionary like himself.

“She put her vision into directing it. Because the way it came out, it was exactly how I wanted to see the movie, how I wanted me, and Judy portrayed,” Montañez said. “How she got there, you know, I I don’t know. But I just saw that when she did it, she literally did it.”

Montañez said he is very thankful to everyone involved in the movie.

“It just keeps getting better and better, you know. And that just shows that, you know, it, it’s our time. It’s your time,” said Montañez. “Encourage you to see it. Have a party and let us know what you think of it.”

Portraying Richard’s father Vacho Montañez

Actor Emilio Rivera, who portrays Vacho Montañez (Richard’s father) in ‘Flamin’ Hot’ said it was easy for him to play that role “because that was my father, my relationship with my father.”’

He said the relationship between Richard and Vacho in real life was like the relationship between him and his father too.

Rivera said he is glad that Vacho accepted his son Richard for the man he is and, in the movie, Rivera say those lines to Garcia during a scene.

“When I said that to him, I had wished my father had told me those words. He never told me those words, but for me to say that to him, I thought my dad saying it to me, you know,” Rivera said of that emotional scene.

Rivera said his dad never showed he was proud of him, but I knew he was proud.

Rivera first met Montañez 13 years ago at the Los Ángeles Lakers games in the Pepsi suite. They would forget about the game and talk about their lives.

“We knew that our lives were so similar,” Rivera said, adding that back then Montañez told him that if there ever did a movie about him “you and my father, like, are the same. Our upbringing are the same. You remind me of my father. And he goes ‘you will play my father.’

“He told me this many years ago and here we are, man,” Rivera said. “Life is right, man.”

One of his proudest moments over all the years of work has been doing this movie, Rivera said.

Rivera said working with Longoria was not only amazing, but “like working with my prima (cousin).”

When Rivera read the script, said nothing surprised him “because everything in that script I lived. You know, the embarrassment of eating burritos all the time. That stuff on that people saying no, not only the father says no, but the workers say no. Your peers are saying no.”

When people hear a no for an answer all the time, it can make them more persistent to get to where they want to be, Rivera said.

In the movie, Richard’s character says, ‘everybody needs a Judy’, Rivera said, adding that in real life, “we all need a Judy” that person behind you that if you fall will be there for you to lift you up.

Rivera said his Judy is his wife Yadi, who encourages him all the time.

“Everything in the movie is so relatable to my life, you know. From the beginning to the end. So beautiful, man,” Rivera said. “And as I hope, it will be to a lot of people’s lives.”

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