Eva Mendes ruled the box office in the early to mid-2000s. But you may know her best for her roles in Training Day with Denzel Washington or Hitch, where she played Will Smith’s love interest.
But where is she now? What happened to her?
The actress actually decided to gracefully exit the spotlight because she was sick of vying for good roles. Mendes had a diverse filmography before she quit acting nearly ten years ago, appearing in everything from Leos Carax’s Holy Motors and Antoine Fuqua’s Training Day to blockbusters like 2 Fast 2 Furious and The Place Beyond the Pines.
Ryan Gosling, who has been Mendes’ longtime partner, was the director of her last film, the fantasy thriller Lost River, in 2014. Last year, the actress, who is also a mother of two, discussed candidly about why she left her acting job and has not looked back.
Also Read: Eva Mendes Net Worth – How Much Money Did She Make in Ghost Rider?
Eva Mendes Discussed How Difficult It Was To Land ‘Good Roles’
In a number of movies, including Training Day and Hitch, Eva Mendes, renowned for her mesmerizing beauty and unmatched acting abilities, held audiences’ attention. She soon became a favorite among the audience thanks to her vivacious personality and exceptional talent. However, Mendes quickly discovered that getting “good roles” was a challenging task.
Mendes, 49, gave Variety an interview in 2022 and provided the following explanation of her decision to stop acting:
“I don’t really miss it. 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 actress, who shares two sweet daughters with Ryan Gosling, further added:
“I thought, ‘Oh, this is what I’m supposed to do right now. There are more opportunities for Latina actresses now, but when I bowed out 10 years ago I wasn’t being offered things that weren’t specifically Latina. It is exciting that things are different now, so who knows what I will do in the future. But right now, I’m keeping it in the home with my kids.”
Eva Mendes Said She Never ‘Quit Acting’
Eva Mendes, 49, who previously said she was taking a break from acting to “be home with my babies,” has revealed that her daughters were home-schooled.
She discussed her family life in Sydney in an interview with The Daily Telegraph:
“I don’t do the home-schooling myself because I’ve tried that and it’s not one of my strengths. We travel a lot and one of my strong beliefs is that you try to always keep a family together, no matter what you’re doing. Especially when the children are small.”
With regard to rumors that she stopped acting, Mendes has cleared the air. The 49-year-old Lost River actress, who has two daughters with Ryan Gosling, responded to the rumors on Instagram:
“I never quit acting. I wanted to be home with my babies and fortunately my other business ventures allowed me to do that more than acting would.”
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Mendes’ message was accompanied by flashing images of various media outlets making predictions about her acting career.
Well, her last acting appearance was in Ryan Gosling’s first feature film, Lost River (2014), which received mixed reviews. Meanwhile, Gosling recently portrayed Ken in Greta Gerwig’s fantasy comedy Barbie alongside Margot Robbie in the lead role.
You can rent Lost River on Apple TV.
Source- Variety
