This awards season brought a lot of attention to Eva Mendes. Eva and her man, Ryan Gosling, have a longstanding policy of not walking red carpets together. A lot of people were hoping that Ryan’s Supporting Actor nomination and “I’m Just Ken” performance would inspire them to make an exception, but they held to their convictions (Eva and their daughters did attend a dress rehearsal, though!). A source explained after the Oscars that Eva doesn’t do red carpets with Ryan because, quite frankly, Eva “still sees it as a job.”
There’s been a lot of renewed interest in Eva, though! There’s a lot of interest in what she’s up to now and whether or not she’s quit acting for good. Back in 2022, Eva had explained via Instagram that she’d never actually quit acting, but instead was tired of being offered “stereotypical roles” and wanted to pursue business interests that would also allow her to be a SAHM for her and Ryan’s two daughters, Esmeralda, nine, and Amada, seven. Earlier this week, Eva did an interview with the Today show and elaborated on the topic a little bit further.
You may have noticed that we haven’t seen Eva Mendes act in anything in, well, quite some time. And she’s finally explained why. In an interview with Today, Mendes said she and husband Ryan Gosling, with whom she has two daughters, had a sort of “nonverbal agreement” that she would stop acting in order to spend more time with their kids.
“It was like a no-brainer,” the actor said. “I’m so lucky if I can have this time with my children.” Because with acting, Mendes explained, you have to travel to be on location all the time, which necessarily takes you away from your kids. “I still worked; I just didn’t act.”
“It was almost just like a nonverbal agreement,” she said. “It was like, ‘Okay, he’s going to work and I’m going to work—I’m just going to work here.’” In fact, the last movie Eva Mendes acted in was Lost River in 2014, which was, perhaps not coincidentally, written and directed by Gosling.
Mendes and Gosling first met on the set of The Place Beyond the Pines in 2011, and welcomed their daughters Esmeralda and Amada in 2014 and 2016, respectively. “On a personal level, I think about time more than I used to. I have two kids and they’re growing up fast,” Gosling told GQ in 2021. “For my first Father’s Day, Eva gave me a watch. The brand doesn’t matter. The symbol was what mattered. It meant you’re on the clock now.”
All of this makes total sense. I think a lot of parents struggle with what to do when they have kids. On one hand, daycare is hella expensive and not everyone has family that can watch their babies during the day. On the other hand, is one parent able to switch gears or even put their career on hold to stay at home? I think it’s great that Eva and Ryan were on the same page and recognize how fortunate they are to be in a position to easily make that decision. I didn’t realize until I started following her on Instagram a few months ago, but Eva has been really busy working on business projects over the last few years. I used to have a few of the dresses from her New York & Co. line back in the day, but I had no idea that she’s co-owner of a kitchen cleaning line called Skura Style, has designed jewelry for Cast Jewelry, and even had a cameo in a Bluey episode. She may not be on the big screen anymore, but she’s definitely been keeping busy. Oh, and in the interview, Eva also apparently did give a caveat that there’s one project that would “bring her back with a vengeance.” I’m dying to know what that project is. Any and all speculation and guesses are welcome.
Photos credit Backgrid, Getty and via Instagram
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