Eva Mendes has addressed the reason behind her departure from Hollywood, explaining that she chose to step back from acting to prioritise motherhood. The 50-year-old actress, who shares two daughters with Ryan Gosling, spoke candidly about her decision during a recent interview on the Today show.
Mendes and Gosling have been together for 13 years but have kept their relationship largely private. They met on the set of The Place Beyond the Pines in 2011 and confirmed their marriage in 2022. The couple have two daughters, Esmerelda, 9, and Amada, 7.
In the interview, Mendes said that once she became a mother, it was instinctive to reduce her acting commitments. 'It was like a no-brainer. I'm so lucky,' she explained. 'If I can have this time with my children – and I still work, I just didn't act... because acting takes you on locations, it takes you away.'
The actress emphasised that the decision was a mutual understanding between her and Gosling. 'It was almost just like a non-verbal agreement that it was like, 'OK, he's going to work and I'm going to work. I'm just going to work here.' He went and he did his job. He just happens to be really good at his job. And he did it and he came home.'
Gosling also took a break from acting for four years after their second daughter was born, before returning to film in 2021. The couple rarely speak about each other in interviews, though they have occasionally shared sweet public nods, such as Gosling wearing an 'E' necklace during the Barbie press tour.
