Eva Mendes says she may consider acting again if the right role came along — as long as it involved working alongside her husband Ryan Gosling. In a recent interview with The Sunday Times, the actress known for titles like The Place Beyond The Pines and Hitch opened up about the challenges she faced early in her career and what might bring her back to film roles.
While Mendes says she was “never in love with acting,” facing barriers like typecasting and ethnic bias made her determined to prove herself. “They would say ‘she’s too ethnic for this, too ethnic for that,'” Mendes recalled of casting calls in her early career. This “fueled” her to work harder. Although times changed and “being Latina became cool,” the obstacles stayed with Mendes.
The Cuban-American star stepped away from films nearly a decade ago to focus on raising her two daughters with Gosling. However, she maintains connections to the industry through advising Gosling on roles like his upcoming part in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie. Regarding that film, Mendes said she reminded Gosling to “make Barbie notice” him and “fall in love,” advice Gosling reportedly appreciated.
While content now outside of acting, Mendes said the one thing that could draw her back is working with Gosling again. Their collaborations on The Place Beyond The Pines and Gosling’s directorial debut Lost River saw some of her best performances according to Mendes, who credits her husband with bringing out a new side of her acting. So while Gosling stays busy with projects like The Fall Guy, Mendes remains open to the possibility of stepping in front of cameras once more — if with Gosling by her side.