Actor Eva Mendes described putting her career on hold to be a full-time mom as a life-changing commitment she was more than happy to take on.
In an upcoming Today show interview, the 50-year-old mom called the arrangement she had with her Ken Doll husband Ryan Gosling to devote more time to their kids, Esmeralda Amada, 9, and Amada Lee, 7, a "nonverbal agreement."
Mendes said of her retirement decision:
“It was like a no-brainer."
"I’m so lucky, and I was like, if I could have this time with my children–and I still work, I just didn’t act, because acting takes you on location."
"It takes you away.”
You can watch a teaser from the interview here.
She continued:
“It was almost just like a nonverbal agreement that it was like, ‘OK, he’s [Gosling] going to work and I’m going to work."
"I’m just going to work here," she said, referring to her fashion line and modeling endeavors.
Mendes is also the creative director of the makeup brand CIRCA Beauty, which is featured at Walgreens.
Mendes said of Gosling's work ethic:
“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 co-stars as best as they can be.”
There was one additional factor solidifying her decision to take a graceful bow from the industry.
“Unfortunately—or fortunately—there’s only one Ryan, so I pretty much stopped acting after that," she said.
Fans gave her props for staying true to her convictions.
Mendes had her acting breakthrough in 2001 when she played the mistress to Denzel Washington's corrupt cop in Training Day.
She had continued success in films like All About the Benjamins, Hitch, and The Place Beyond the Pines, the 2012 movie where she met Gosling.
In 2022, Mendes announced she was retiring from Hollywood.
She explained why she had no regrets about her decision, saying:
"I got tired fighting for the good roles."
"There just was a point where I thought, ‘I’m going to create my own opportunities and become a producer on things and create my own material,’ but it just didn’t feel worth it to me."
The couple seems to be juggling parenthood and their careers with aplomb, thanks in no small part to their mutual support and playful rapport.
She also remains Gosling's biggest champion throughout the highs and lows of his career.
After Gosling's wildly entertaining performance of Barbie's "I'm Just Ken" at the Oscars, Mendes cheekily wrote on X (formerly Twitter):
"You took Ken all the way to the Oscar's, RG."
"Now come home, we need to put the kids to bed."
She also thanked him on Instagram for "holding down the fort at home so I could live the Dolce Evita for a couple days" referring to her Dolce & Gabbana modeling gig in Italy just days after the Oscars.
@spaceykacey/Instagram