Celebrity Parents

Eva Mendes Explains Why She Might Not Act Ever Again

The mother of two says she’s too selective nowadays to take on any role.
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Eva Mendes selfishly put her acting career on an indefinite hiatus to raise her two children, and it seems like she is in no rush to return to the big or small screen. The Hitch star shares two children with her longtime partner and now husband, Ryan Gosling. As Gosling’s career continues to reach new heights, Mendes is happy to support him while also being supermom. And she says it’s what makes her content.

While appearing on Good Morning America, the 50-year-old actress says it would take mountains being moved in order for her to return to work in that capacity. “I don’t know. If there โ€” you know โ€” if there’s interesting roles,” she said while promoting her first children’s book, Desi, Mami, and the Never-Ending Worries.

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“I left at a time where it was also likeโ€ฆ 10 years ago, I kinda felt like I did it, ya know?” she continued “I just worked with Ryan Gosling, who’s, like, the best. And I had such a โ€” I don’t know โ€” it was such a high off my career to work with him and what we created together that I was like, ‘This is a good time to just Seinfeld it and just walk out.’” Her last acting role was in 2014’s Lost River, which was written and directed by Gosling, 43. She and Gosling share daughters Esmeralda Amada, 10, and Amada Lee, 8.

But just because she’s no longer acting doesn’t mean she’s not busy outside of marriage and motherhood. Mendes is the creative director for CIRCA Beauty, a cosmetics brand sold at Walgreens.

Now, she says to return to acting, the role would have to be something she couldn’t pass up. She says she’s extremely selective now.

“I have such a short list of what I will do. Like before kids, I kind of was up for anything โ€” I mean, if it was a fun project,” she said while appearing on The View in 2022, adding that she will not take violent or highly sexualized roles.