Hitch , The Place Beyond The Pines , 2 Fast 2 Furious , Ghost Rider , and The Other Guys star, Eva Mendes, has kept a low profile her entire career. Despite being a well-known actress, she has always managed to be a complete mystery to her fans.
Here are a few random facts about Eva that fans didn’t know.
1. She has taken a break from acting so that she can focus on being a mom.
You may have noticed Eva’s absence from Hollywood for the last few years, and that’s because she hasn’t been in a film since 2014.
“It limits my choices and I’m fine with that. I have to set an example for my girls now,” she told Oprah . “I’m just so obsessed with my kids that I don’t want to leave them.”
2. She chose to drop a ton of weight for her film *The Place Beyond The Pines*.
“I made a choice to be very skinny for the beginning of the film. I don’t know if you could tell, but I was a lot skinnier than I usually am, because I wanted her to feel very tired and depleted,” she told Now Toronto .
3. Before marrying Ryan Gosling, Eva wasn’t sure if she wanted to have children.
In an interview with Women’s Health , she explained that she only decided to have children once she fell in love with Ryan — it was entirely exclusive to him.
4. She prefers to keep her relationship with Ryan as private as possible.
“I have always had a clear boundary when it comes to my man and my kids,” she wrote on Instagram.
“I’ll talk about them of course, with limits, but I won’t post pictures of our daily life. And since my children are still so little and don’t understand what posting their image really means, I don’t have their consent. And I won’t post their image until they’re old enough to give me consent.”
She added that it is her and Ryan’s decision to keep the details of their relationship off of social media and as far away from the press as possible.
“As far as Ryan and I, it just works for us this way, to stay private,” she continued .
5. She described her parenting style as being a “bulldozer.”
In an interview on The Kelly Clarkson Show , when asked what her and Ryan Gosling’s parenting style is like, Eva said :
“We’re very controlling. We’re always laughing at these terms… I think we would be ‘bulldozing’ parents. Have you heard of the bulldozers?”
6. She loves to work out.
“I used to really love to run,” she told Shape .
“It’s very, very important for me to add weights into my workout. So I do a lot of jumps, squats—a lot of squats—lunges, and then intervals of like, sprinting within that. I have a really amazing person I work with, a trainer.”
7. She doesn’t mind letting her husband attend red carpet events without her.
After skipping out on the 2016 Oscars while Ryan attended, she revealed that she simply prefers to stay at home.
“What people don’t know about me is that I love being home. Instead of hitting the red carpet, I’d rather be with our girls,” she told Shape .
8. She uses steam to set her makeup.
In a Facebook Q&A, she explained that if she really wants her foundation to stay put all day long, she runs a hot bath after applying it to her face.
“Think it or not, after I Have used my makeup, if I truly desire it to remain all the time, I run the new bath to get a moment and [then] I allow the water [to] settle my makeup. I understand it sounds strange however it works for me!” she wrote .
9. She avoids shooting violent scenes in films.
In an interview with Now Toronto , Eva revealed that while shooting a rather aggressive scene with Ryan Reynolds, she wasn’t totally comfortable doing it in front of the infant actor that obviously had no idea what was really going on.
“I don’t like violent scenes, because I’m just not a violent person. I especially don’t like any kind of violence in the home,” she explained.
“It was really tough because the baby was around, and I became so protective over that little guy. I thought, ‘We know we’re acting, but this baby doesn’t know we’re acting,’ so I’m screaming over and over again – you’re screaming and screaming and screaming and screaming – and I just kept, you know, hugging that baby and trying to let him know that it’s okay .”
10. She wants to be in another movie with her man, Ryan Gosling.
The pair met on the set of The Place Beyond The Pines back in 2011 and have been together ever since.
But Eva admitted in an interview with Oprah Magazine that she would definitely be interested in working on another project together in the future.
“I would love to either act opposite him again or be directed by him at some point. I just love working with him,” she said.
She added that her husband is a “creative genius.”
11. She celebrates Cuban and American Christmas traditions in her household.
As per Cuban holiday traditions, Eva, Ryan, and their two daughters usually host a big Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve, open a couple of gifts that night, and then, of course, the rest of their gifts in the morning.
12. Eva nearly joined a convent!
Religion played an incredibly important role in Eva’s household. She was heavily influenced by the church and thought heavily about becoming a nun in her younger years.
But that wasn’t the only thing Eva aspired to do.
Eva always dreamed of one day being able to buy her mother a house.
Money was scarce and times were hard. When Eva realized that nuns don’t get paid for their efforts, she quickly adjusted her career path.
Eva realized she could give more by pursuing a career in acting.
13. She has her own clothing line.
Eva has teamed up with NY&C Closet to produce something the fashion world had never seen. Eva’s philosophy is rent , return, repeat!
For a monthly fee, you can actually rent Eva’s clothes and purchase them for a discounted fee.
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14. Eva is on board for *Hitch 2*!
While walking the red carpet at the Create and Cultivate seminar, Eva was reminded by a reporter that it had been nearly 15 years to the day since the release of Hitch . When asked if she’d be willing to make a sequel, Eva emphatically replied that she’s all in!
15. She’s totally on board to be in a Disney movie.
These days, Eva’s design career is her first passion. That said, she did say that the idea of appearing in a Disney movie intrigues her. But Eva doesn’t want to be a princess.
She has her sights on Ursula the Sea Witch!
16. Eva was bullied as a child.
Eva freely admits that grades 7-9 were absolute torture for her. She was bullied by a fellow classmate who was nothing short of relentless.
It went on for years until finally, Eva hit her breaking point.
One day, the unnamed assailant stomped on Eva’s brand new shoes and this was the final straw.
Eva’s mother had worked countless hours to be able to buy her those shoes. She snapped, stood her ground, and challenged her bully to a fight. Surprisingly enough, the girl never showed.
17. She isn’t afraid to clap back at trolls.
Be careful what you post on Eva’s social media because she isn’t the type to sit silently. She’s built quite a reputation for being fearless when it comes to tackling negativity, so if you don’t have anything nice to say, best to not say anything at all.
