Eva Mendes is a woman who seems to have it all as a Hollywood icon. In addition to being attractive and skilled, she also has her very own leading man by the name of fellow hottie Ryan Gosling by her side. So why aren’t we seeing her in movies anymore?
A little throwback
Mendes’ career was unquestionably booming in the 2000s. With roles in movies like Once Upon a Time in Mexico, 2 Fast 2 Furious, and Hitch, the actress rose to popularity throughout that decade. Later on, Mendes gained notoriety for her romance with actor Ryan Gosling, a fellow movie star.
Despite being one of Hollywood’s most elite couples, Mendes and Gosling are known for being quite quiet. Their two daughters have been kept well out of the spotlight, and they seldom ever appear in public together. Mendes hasn’t produced a film since 2014, furthering his withdrawal from the spotlight.
Mendes came from a fairly typical upbringing. The future celebrity was born in Florida in March 1974. But she eventually moved to California after her Cuban parents split up. Even though she is now praised for her attractiveness, the actress admitted to bullying by her siblings in 2007 when speaking to the Australian media The Sydney Morning Herald about her “buck teeth.”
Mendes, though, had aspirations of leading a more thrilling life at a young age. I was in need. I was raised in a lower-middle class home, so I had all kinds of fantasies, she recounted. When I was very little, I believed that I would become an opera singer and an astronaut. When I saw Annie, I then fantasized of becoming a movie star. Then, I was seven.
Mendes may have had her sights set on Hollywood since she was a little child, but it would take another 20 years for her to make it big. And at one time, it appeared that she would choose a completely other route. She enrolled in college to pursue a marketing degree, but after she was photographed by a neighbor, her life was forever altered.
A manager noticed Mendes’ images and signed her up for a few commercial appearances. The gigs got greater over time, and eventually she was cast in a movie. But Mendes acknowledged that she accepted the task “without knowing what to do… I had never taken an acting class before. I was awful!”
Mendes enlisted the help of renowned acting coach Ivana Chubbuck to hone her acting abilities. And over time, the rising star started to establish a film career. She subsequently observed, “There hasn’t been one movie that has taken me directly to the top. It has happened gradually, which is good because I don’t think I could have handled it otherwise. I would have quit and fled.
Early roles for Mendes were 2 Fast 2 Furious and Training Day. But her big break came in 2003, when not just one movie but three well-known movies were all released. They were Stuck On You with Matt Damon, Out Of Time with Denzel Washington, and Once Upon A Time In Mexico with Johnny Depp.
For Mendes and her mother, seeing her film career finally take off was heartbreaking. The actress told how her mother started crying while riding in a limo to a premiere. She showed me a note I had written to her when I was nine years old, Mendes said. It promised to take care of all your bills and to pick you up in a limo, according to the message.
Mendes’ rising fame allowed her to not only provide for her mother’s daily needs but also a roof over her head. The actress wanted to repay her mother for all of the sacrifices she had made over the years on her behalf. The actress cited her desire to “rescue my mum who endured so much to make my life OK” as her motivation.
Mendes would go on to play bigger roles, such as co-starring with Will Smith in the 2005 film Hitch. She was one of the first minority actors to be cast in a starring part in a popular rom-com because to her inclusion in the film. She also received outstanding reviews for her performance.
Though not all of Mendes’ performances over the years have been as well-liked. She co-starred in The Women, a 2008 comedy directed by women and starring Debra Messing, Annette Bening, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Meg Ryan, as one prominent example. Mendes is a contender for the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress according to her performance in the critically criticized film.
The Spirit, which unfortunately came out the same year as The Women, was another another failure for Mendes. Critics at the time once more panned the movie. Additionally, it was ranked number 32 on the list of “The 50 Worst Movies Ever” published by Empire magazine.
Despite these sporadic failures, Mendes did experience several professional high points at this time. In North America, her 2007 film Ghost Rider peaked at number one and brought in about $230 million worldwide. She also made an appearance in the highly regarded film We Own the Night in the same year. And Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans from 2009 was praised as one of the year’s top titles.
The comedy The Other Guys from 2010 brought Mendes even more success. More over $170 million was made at the global box office by the movie, which also starred Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell. Mendes received an ALMA Award nomination two years later for her work in Girl in Progress.
Mendes made an appearance in the fantasy film Holy Motors in 2012. Despite the fact that the role was originally meant for British supermodel Kate Moss, the actress claimed to have found the role to be gratifying. The movie, according to Mendes, was “the greatest, most inventive thing I’ve ever done,” he remarked in an interview with the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph in 2013.
In the 2012 drama The Place Beyond the Pines, Mendes played one of the leading roles. The success of the movie was extremely crucial for the actress because it served as the catalyst for her relationship with co-star Ryan Gosling. It appears that the couple started dating while working together, but they kept their relationship a secret for a while.
In fact, throughout their nine-year relationship, Mendes and Gosling have only sometimes been photographed together in public, usually when they were promoting The Place Beyond the Pines. But behind closed doors, the highly secretive pair has only grown stronger. Esmeralda, born in 2014, and Amada, born two years later, are their two daughters today.
Along with growing their family, the couple collaborated creatively once more on the 2014 movie Lost River. Mendes played a showgirl in the film, and Gosling made his debut appearance working behind the camera. Additionally, it appeared that Mendes enjoyed working with her boyfriend.
The two times that Gosling and I have worked together have been the two best experiences of my career, Mendes remarked in 2019. The Place Beyond the Pines has such unique work. Working together was very thrilling because we were previously acquainted.
Mendes stated, “Working on my most recent project with Ryan Gosling, Lost River, was nothing short of a fantastic experience. I would like the opportunity to work with him once more or be under his direction. I adore doing business with him. In a career spanning more than 20 years, if my two most amazing creative encounters were with him, I would naturally desire a third.
Although Mendes seems to have been inspired by her time on Lost River, this would be her last acting project for a long. In reality, the movie remained her last acting credit for nearly seven years as of March 2021. Additionally, the actress’s fans were aware of her disappearance from the screen.
A basic justification after all?
Mendes explained the cause of her break in 2020 in response to a comment on her Instagram post. And as it happened, there was a completely comprehensible reason. That’s because the actress had simply made the decision to prioritize raising her family above pursuing a career in acting.
Mendes wrote on Instagram, “There are many roles I won’t play now that I’m a mother. My options are limited since I don’t want to engage in many of these topics, but I’m okay with that. Now I have to be a role model for my daughters. But don’t worry, I have a few side businesses.
Mendes’ views echoed remarks she had previously expressed in a 2019 interview. Then, she had added, “I would surely select my responsibilities differently now that I’m older and that I’m a mother. It would have to be right to me and yet be enjoyable for me because I try very hard to be a good role model for my girls.
Despite this, Mendes wouldn’t rule out making another movie, especially with Ryan Gosling. She admitted, “I really want to work with Ryan again.” “Working with him when he was directing was the most enjoyable experience I’ve ever had. Being a part of it with him was incredibly creatively fulfilling, and he is a phenomenal filmmaker. Definitely, I would enjoy having that experience again.
Mendes still had a ton of activities to keep her busy. The actress had her “side hustles” to concentrate on in addition to raising her daughters, as she had described on Instagram. Over the years, she has collaborated with New York & Co. to launch her own fashion label, Eva by Eva Mendes, and she has her name attached to a line of home goods at Macy’s.
It appears that Mendes is actively involved in the development of her apparel business. She seems to want to make every woman feel comfortable, regardless of size or price range. Considering this, none of the actress’ collection’s pieces price for more than $200 and are available in sizes 0 through 20, in addition to petite and tall fits.
Additionally, it looks that Mendes’ two daughters have picked up her passion of fashion. They simply use creativity in everything. She told E! News, “Kids are very inventive. I believe that as people become older, society, the classroom, or even just other people take a toll on us.
Therefore, Mendes continued, “I’m hoping to keep them in that creative space for as long as possible. “I brought up this subject recently. I thought it was cool when my small kid said she wanted to go to school with socks on her hands. Great. quelles socks? Which couple? I don’t want to restrict kids by telling them they can’t do something.
Mendes’ strategy is to let her daughters dress whichever they want in order to tap into their creativity. The actress said, “I let them do that as long as it’s suitable of course and as long as it’s appropriate to the weather outside. If they want to wear pyjamas to dinner. When it comes to their clothing, I essentially give them free reign.
Since her children are her top priority in life, Mendes gets to spend more time with them by focusing on her off-screen activities. But in 2019, the actress admitted to the magazine Women’s Health that having children had never crossed her mind until meeting Ryan Gosling.
Mendes explained that it was Ryan Gosling who caused her to change her mind about being a mother, adding, “I mean, falling in love with him. Then it made sense for me to have his children instead of my own. It was highly personalized for him. However, since the actress welcomed her children into the world, they have taken over everything.
Mendes acknowledged that her children had become her entire universe while talking about her experiences as a mother in 2018. She had no plans to return to the movie industry any time soon as a result. The actress said, “I’m just so obsessed with my kids that I don’t want to leave them. They simply remain so young.
Mendes acknowledged that she had assistance even though she was giving parenthood her all. The celebrity admitted, “I don’t feel like I have everything balanced at all. “I’ve kind of been figuring it out as I go along, and having a support network is crucial. I have Ryan’s family as well as my own, and having family around to support you is just like, crucial.
While Mendes may be happy to talk about specific aspects of her family life with the public, she and Gosling generally strive to shield their girls from the spotlight. She never posts pictures of her kids or Gosling on social media because she prefers to let them live their private life.
Esmerelda and Amada have actually been protected from the media by Mendes and Gosling so well that it appears the two young women are unaware that their parents are well-known. They are unaware, the actress claimed in 2019 to The Oprah Magazine. To them, we are undoubtedly simply mom and dad, and we want to maintain that relationship for as long as we can.
Mendes continued, saying her girls still didn’t give a damn what their parents did for a career. We haven’t actually had that conversation yet, she said, “since they haven’t shown any interest in that.” Not that our own movies are playing or anything like that, either. We enjoy being their mom and dad simply because it is who we are.
Mendes and her kids might not be able to continue living in their little bubble indefinitely, though. The actress said it was “time” to return to acting in October 2020, telling Australian radio station Nova 96.9 that her daughters were “becoming a bit older” and that it was “time.” I don’t want to do anything violent, she clarified, I don’t want to act inappropriately. Disney, in my opinion, is all that’s left.
