Eva Mendes Shares Why She Stepped Away From Acting After Having Kids With Ryan Gosling
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Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes seem like one of Hollywood's most solid couples, even though they keep most of their romantic life pretty private. They first sparked dating rumors in 2011 while filming The Place Beyond the Pines, and have been going strong ever since. Here, we look back at their connection over the last decade and beyond.
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August 2011
The couple were friends for many years before they started dating, according to Oprah Mag.
“We had known each other for a while already, so to work together was really exciting,” Mendes said of filming The Place Beyond the Pines in New York together. But soon, they seemed to be spending a lot of time together for just friends.
“There's always been this strong chemistry between them…this was just a matter of time!” said a source on set.
September 2011
In September of that year, the pair were seen smooching at Disneyland. An observer told Us Magazine how flirty they were.
“They were very playful,” they said. “Eva was skipping around like a little girl…She would lean into him and she held his arm the entire time.”
October 2011
Like Zendaya and Tom Holland, Gosling and Mendes got busted while making out at a stoplight in Hollywood. Soon after, they flew out to Paris together.
June 2012
The next summer, the couple visited Gosling's native country, Canada, and spent time with his mother, Donna. Donna was apparently a big fan of Mendes.
“Donna and Eva get along really, really well,” said a source. “Donna wants Ryan to settle down and Eva is all about getting him on that train too, so they're both on the same page.”
Another source claimed that Mendes' family also gave the relationship the all-clear. “Eva says that’s what sealed the deal with Ryan” the insider said. ‘They’re going to make it.”
September 2012
The Place Beyond the Pines premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, and the couple posed on the red carpet together.
They were also each other's date when the movie premiered in NYC at the Landmark Sunshine Cinema.
September 2014
Mendes gave birth to the couple’s first child, their daughter Esmeralda Amada. Mendes had apparently not planned to be a mom, but that changed when she and Gosling got together.
“Then it made sense for me to have… not kids, but his kids,” she told Women's Health. “It was very specific to him.”
April 2015
Gosling's directorial debut Lost River is released, co-starring Mendes.
December 2015
Gosling made some rare comments about his relationship, saying in an interview with Hello! magazine, “I know that I'm with the person I'm supposed to be with.”
When pressed about what qualities he looks for in a woman he said the only only quality he looks for is “that she's Eva Mendes...There's nothing else I'm looking for.”
May 2016
The pair welcome their second daughter, Amada Lee.
September 2016
Marriage rumors swirl around the couple, and Us Weekly reported that they'd had a ceremony with “a small group of family and friends.”
Soon after, TMZ refuted the story.
In 2011, Mendes had told Chelsea Handler, “I'm not like anti-marriage or the institution, like for other people. And I love the idea of a union—that's all very beautiful. But I think, you know, it's a very old fashioned, archaic kind of thing. We did it for land originally. How unromantic is that?”
She added that it would be fun “to be with someone in your fifties and sixties and be like, ‘That's my boyfriend.’”
January 2017
Gosling received a Golden Globe award for La La Land, and thanked “his lady” for her support.
“While I was singing and dancing and playing piano, and having one of the best experiences I’ve ever had on a film, my lady was raising our daughter, pregnant with our second, and trying to help her brother fight his battle with cancer,” Gosling said. “If she hadn’t taken all of that on, so that I could have this experience, there would surely be someone up here today, so, sweetheart, thank you.”
September 2019
Mendes told Access Hollywood a little about parenting her with Gosling.
“It’s so fun and beautiful and maddening,” she said. “It’s so hard, of course, but it’s that that feeling of ending your day and putting them to bed and Ryan and I look at each other like, ‘We did it, we came out relatively unscathed.’”
October 2021
Much like their relationship, the couple try to keep their kids out of the spotlight. Gosling is not active on social media, and Mendes has responded to people accusing him of not being an active parent because doesn't appear much in her feed.
“I don’t talk about Ryan and all the wonderful things he does as a father because I keep that part private,” she wrote. “I feel it’s best that I continue to disclose what I’m comfortable with but not involve him or my kids too much. It’s not about being cagey or weird, it’s just about staying private in a public space. Does that make sense? Hope so. Because this is my honest answer.”
But Gosling did share a little bit about what it was like parenting under lockdown conditions from the pandemic.
“Our kids are young, so it was a tough time for them to be separated from other kids and not being able to see family and whatnot,” Gosling told GQ. “So, we did our best to entertain them.”
May 2022
Mendes promoted Gosling's new movie, The Gray Man, sharing a poster for the film in which Gosling looks like an undeniable dreamboat.
“My man making all my 1980’s action star dreams come true,” she captioned it.
June 2022
She also got excited about Gosling's role as the iconic Ken in the Margot Robbie-led Barbie film.
“So. F. Funny. So. F. Good. So F excited for you to see this... she joked, hashtagging it #Thatsmyken.
November 2022
On November 15, Mendes shared her new inner-wrist tattoo on Instagram, a design that spells “de Gosling.”
Mendes, who was raised by her Cuban parents in Miami, may be referring to the tradition of adding a husband's last name onto the woman's original name after their marriage, using “de” or “of.” If Mendes and Gosling were married, her name could be Eva Mendes de Gosling. Fans took the tattoo as a sign that Mendes and Gosling are secretly hitched.
Mendes then made an appearance on Australia’s Kyle and Jackie O Show, where they naturally asked about the tattoo. Co-host Brittany Hockley asked directly, “There’s a rumor that you guys might have secretly tied the knot. Is that true?”
Mendes replied, “But who says we weren’t already? I like to keep it all mysterious. I’m a very mysterious woman.”
About the the tattoo, she said, “I do have a tattoo. It’s just a press on…no, it’s not a press on. But I got it years ago. I posted a picture and I’ve gotten a lot of funny questions.”
April 2023
Mendes explained why she and Gosling don't do red carpets together to a user on Instagram expressing hope that they would appear together on the Barbie press tour.
“What a cool comment, thank you,” Mendes replied, via Entertainment Tonight. “But we don’t do those things together. Like these photos I’ve been posting, Im only comfortable posting because it’s already out there. ♥️.”
May 2023
Ahead of the release of the Barbie movie, Mendes made a rare public support of Gosling and his role as Ken in the movie. She posted a photo of herself on Instagram, wearing a shirt with him in character on it. “Got that real big Kenergy. Coz girls is players too,” she captioned it.
Gosling later spoke about Mendes in his interview with GQ. He revealed that he never imagined himself being a parent until “Eva said she was pregnant. I would never want to go back, you know? I’m glad I didn’t have control over my destiny in that way, because it was so much better than I ever had dreamed for myself.”
Meeting Mendes genuinely changed the course of his life. “I was looking for her, you know?” Gosling said, adding he wasn't even fully aware at the time. “But it all makes sense now.”
When parenting their two daughters, “I just lean on Eva [when I'm not sure what to do]. She knows what’s important, always. She just somehow knows. So if ever I’m in my head about it, I just ask her.”
June 2023
During his press tour in Canada for his new movie Barbie, Ryan Gosling shared what it's like to be the “Barbie dad” to his two daughters who apparently have “complicated backstories” for their dolls. On Thursday, June 29, he shared that Esmeralda and Amada like to make up their own universe while talking to ET Canada.
“Well, you have to know, my kids, their Barbies aren’t even named Barbie,” he explained. “They all have their own names, very complicated lives, backstories, interrelationships, history, you gotta know it all.”
He joked that when he jumped into play he was informed the dolls were “estranged now” and that “it’s like, ‘Get out of here.’”
“They don't even talk!” he added, explaining that in his daughter's Barbie world, Ken has been demoted.
“He works at a grocery store, he's not a fireman,” Gosling said.
July 2023
Gosling wore a tribute to Mendes at the Barbie Los Angeles premiere: an “E” necklace in the Barbie font.He spoke to Entertainment Tonight about how the couple's daughters influenced the way he played Ken. “They've seen a lot pieces of [the film], and helped me a lot with it,” Gosling said. “They were huge inspiration for me.” He also added that he may wait to take them to see the movie: “Well, it was, I think, weird enough for them that I played Ken anyway. I might like, you know, just hold off on them seeing the full Ken energy.”
On Friday, July 14, Gosling shared more about his family in an interview with People.
“I think they're confused as to why I would want to play Ken,” he said. “They have no use for Ken.”
Gosling went on, “My kids were my introduction to [Barbie]...My kids were around for the months at home, as I was prepping for it. So they, inadvertently, were prepping for it too. And they came to set that day and were a huge sense of support and doing it with me off-camera.”
August 2023
On Thursday, Mendes posted a short video clip of herself on Instagram, captioned, “When my kids ask me if they're old enough to go on the internet, social media or anything requiring wifi.”
In the video, she is shaking her head and waving her hands in a very clear “no,” because she apparently tries to keep her two daughters off the Internet. In the comments, Mendes responded to her followers, explaining why she and Gosling are so strict.
First, someone wrote, “Your smart @evamendes. I have limited it a lot for my now 10-year-old but feel like your way is better.”
She replied, “I'm just sharing what I feel now, but I know it's gonna get harder as they get older. So, I hear ya, mama. I let my kids use the iPad to make movies and watch films I've downloaded, but I don't have internet access on the iPad. Lotsa love your way, fellow mama!”
A second comment said, “We are in the internet century, so eventually everyone will need or want to access the internet, sorry.”
“Yes, true, but in my house, children do not have access to the Internet,” Mendes answered. “It's too dangerous. Just like drinking or voting or getting a driver's license (etc.) isn't allowed for children, the Internet falls under that category for me. Especially social media.”
One fan asked, “At what age do you think you'll allow them to use [the] internet/social media?”
She explained, “Honestly, I don't know. I'll have to see where it goes. For now, I'm observing them and keeping up with research about how social media can impact a child's brain. I'm taking it stage by stage.”
December 2023
Gosling released four new renditions of his Barbie anthem “I'm Just Ken” with musical artist Mark Ronson. Mendes was ecstatic for her husband, and shared several clips on Instagram.
“So grateful to @iammarkronson for getting my man to make more music,” she wrote, adding, “Dead Man's Bones is my favorite band… when I first heard Ryan sing, MY HEART EXPLODED...More Ryan & Ronson música por favor!”
Dead Man's Bones is the name of Gosling's former rock band he founded with Zach Shields in 2009.
In the comments, fans were almost as excited, asking Mendes not to refer to her husband as “my man,” but instead “our man.”
She was surprisingly willing to comply, saying, “You're right! Our Man. It'll never happen again. Merry Christmas! Lots of love!!”
Another fan commented, “THIS IS AMAZING!!! And damn, @evamendes your enthusiasm for your man is beautiful and electric. I love it!”
Mendes used the comment as an opportunity to gush about him even more in response.
“Thanks for saying that. I'm his number one fan, clearly,” she joked. “But it's so much more than his talents. If he wasn't such an amazing man to me and [an] incredible father to the kids—trust me—I wouldn't be praising him like this! Happy Holidays to you. Sending you lotsa love!”
January 2024
On Saturday, January 13, Gosling accepted the Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. While giving his speech, he made sure to mention Mendes and their two children and how movies gave him his family—he did meet Mendes on set, after all.
“Most importantly, I got to meet the girl of my dreams, Eva Mendes, and have two dream children,” said Gosling. “I dreamed of one day making movies, and now, movies have made my life a dream.”
One week later, the Academy announced this year’s nominees for the Oscars, and Gosling received a nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Ken in Barbie. On January 24, Mendes took to Instagram to post a supportive tribute for her husband.
“So proud of my man. So much hate when he took on this role. So many people trying to shame him for doing it. Despite all of the #Notmyken ridicule and articles written about him, he created this completely original, hilarious, heartbreaking, now iconic character and took it all the way to Oscars,” she wrote in the caption along with a screenshot of a Rolling Stones article calling Gosling ‘cringe’ for accepting the role. “So beyond proud to be this Ken’s Barbie 💕.”
February 2024
A source spoke to Us Weekly about Gosling and Mendes’ life together. “They are trying to keep their daughters’ lives as normal as possible and don’t want them growing up in Hollywood,” one source said.
Both are supportive of the other’s career too, a second source said: “Ryan always encourages Eva to pursue the projects she believes in and gladly steps up to the plate to take care of the kids whenever she needs.”
With their daughters, “he reads to the kids, takes them to games, puts them to sleep, cooks their dinners—everything, really. He devotes almost all his time to his family. He enjoys taking care of the girls and spoiling Eva, too,” that source said.
That second source shared a bit about their dynamic as a couple: “Ryan loves to cook for Eva, and once the kids are asleep, they’ll enjoy one of their favorite shows together.” While they will sometimes go out for date nights, “[they] prefer hikes and trips to the beach over fancy restaurants or a big party,” the insider finished.
March 2024
Mendes supported Gosling backstage at the Oscars, sharing two Instagrams of herself there. “Always by my man,” she captioned her first one.
“You took Ken all the way to the Oscar’s, RG,” she wrote in her second. “Now come home, we need to put the kids to bed. 💋”
On March 11, a source explained to People why Mendes and Gosling moved their family out of Los Angeles.
“For them, the most important job is their girls,” the source said. “Everything else comes second. And their girls are thriving. They left L.A. to live a bit further north, away from Hollywood. They didn’t want the girls to grow up around other celebrity kids.”
They added that “Eva and Ryan love their life. It’s admirable how they’ve been able to create balance and boundaries. They care so much about their marriage and just want their girls to live a happy life.”
Gosling gave an interview to People on March 12 where he revealed that Mendes did not attend the Oscars but a dress rehearsal for it with their daughters.
“It was great,” he said. “It was so fun because they came to the dress rehearsal the day before and so they were in the front row. They gave me some tips and some notes, all great notes. They are such a huge part of this for me...it was my girls’ interest in Barbie and disinterest in Ken that got me into this in the first place. It was beautiful to have them there at the end.”
On Thursday, March 14, after showing so much support for her husband, Mendes posted about getting some time for fun at Milan Fashion Week. It was her first time attending since the birth of her kids. In a short video she posted of herself enjoying “La Dolce Evita,” Mendes thanked Gosling for stepping up as a parent so she could take a break.
She started by saying her looked was “made possible” by fashion house Dolce & Gabbana, her stylists, and “by my man for holding down the fort at home so I could live the Dolce Evita for a couple days.”
A few weeks ago, she also offered a glimpse of what fashion week can be like behind-the-scenes, trying to get a snack in between shows.
Later in the month, Mendes spoke about life with Gosling and their two daughters on The Today Show on March 26. She opened up about her decision to step away from acting after having children.
“It was, like, a no brainer,” she explained. “I’m so lucky, and I was, like, ‘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. 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.’”
The actress also reflected on her time working with her future husband on The Place Beyond the Pines.
“I have never experienced anything like that. The way he works, his commitment to his craft, how he wants to make everything as best as it can be, and that means making his co-stars as best as they can be,” she shared. “But unfortunately—or fortunately—there is only one Ryan.”
Eva Mendes opened up to TODAY about her now-partner Ryan Gosling:
“I’ve never experienced anything like that. The way he works, his commitment to his craft, how he wants to make everything as best as it can be — and that means making his costars as best as they can be.” pic.twitter.com/HZCxAmVpJv— TODAY (@TODAYshow) March 26, 2024
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