Eva Mendes

Cuban-American actress Eva Mendes has that “it” factor. She has shown in the past that she can handle action scenes, dramatic scenes, horror scenes and romantic comedy scenes as well as any of her peers. She is married to Ryan Gosling but hasn’t been in a movie since 2014. That being said, she’s very active on Instagram.

EVA MENDES IS ON INSTAGRAM

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Though Eva Mendes hasn’t been acting for quite some time, that doesn’t mean the actress isn’t out there in the public eye. Far from it. She has an active Instagram account with 2.9 million followers.

On it, she is helping to promote different brands including her own lines and companies. The above video has her letting on about a sponge she apparently uses around the house.

And then there was some shoutouts where her hair and makeup are concerned. Check out one of her latest posts.

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And then there have been some other posts as well.

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EVA MENDES WAS READY TO RETURN TO THE FAST FRANCHISE

Along with overall steering clear from screen roles, Eva Mendes hasn’t been seen in her role as former US Customs Agent Monica Fuentes since her post-credits cameo for 2011’s Fast Five. But in April 2021, Fast & Furious star Vin Diesel hinted that Mendes could be returning to the “family” for one of the two films that will act as the franchise’s film finale.

Asked specifically about Mendes, Diesel told Entertainment Weekly, “Let’s just say, the fact that you guys know that the studio is saying, ‘we can’t cover all this ground that needs to be covered in just one movie.’ You can only imagine what is to come.”

TRAINING DAY WAS THE BIG BREAK FOR EVA MENDES

Eva Mendes had been around Hollywood for a few years appearing in movies such as Urban Legends: Final Cut, A Night At The Roxbury, and Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror. Her big break came in 2001 when she was seen in two movies.

The first was the Steven Seagal/DMX action cop film Exit Wounds which she followed up with her career turning role in another cop film, Antoine Fuqua’s Training Day. This one was led by Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke and it put Mendes on the map.

Perhaps it was one of Training Day’s opening scenes that caught the attention of many, though the role was more than that. In fact, EvaMendes’s nude scene early in the movie wasn’t even in the script but something she suggested to director Fuqua.

She told W Magazine (via People) in an interview, “I’ve never had a problem with nudity, but I don’t put it out there without a reason,” she said in their 2014 July issue. “I’m not an exhibitionist. But, honestly, for my art I’ll do anything almost. I’ll go there.”

Eva Mendes also clarified that she doesn’t take her clothes off willy nilly. “I know I walk a fine line between being a respected actor and being what they call a sex symbol,” she continued. “But I’ve never felt objectified. Nothing you see me do is an accident. I might act like it’s an accident but the opposite is true. I’m incredibly calculated when it comes to my career.”

HER CAREER PICKS UP WITH THE FAST FRANCHISE AND HITCH

After her eye-opening role in Training Day, Eva Mendes began to nab bigger parts. She went on next to star in All About The Benjamins and then jumped on board the Fast franchise in the series’ second film, 2 Fast 2 Furious.

She moved on to Once Upon A Time In Mexico with Antonio Banderas and Johnny Depp, then re-teamed with Denzel Washington for another cop movie, Out Of Time.

In 2005, Eva Mendes showed that she could carry her own in a romantic comedy as she co-starred with Will Smith in the hit film Hitch. This role made her one of the very first minority actors to lead in a mainstream romantic comedy.

Eva Mendes continued to grab role after role even starring in the critically panned Ghost Rider, based on the Marvel character. She was also seen in The Other Guys where she was reunited with A Night At The Roxbury star Will Ferrell.

EVA MENDES MET RYAN GOSLING ON THE SET OF THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES

Enter Mr. Gosling. The two met on the set of the 2012 film The Place Beyond The Pines and for Eva Mendes, it represented a shift. Falling in love, having kids, a family were not part of her plan at the time but it all changed when Gosling stepped into her world.

“Ryan Gosling happened,” the actress said. “I mean, falling in love with him. Then it made sense for me to have… not kids, but his kids. It was very specific to him.” And happen, it did. The pair now have two kids: Esmerelda (5) and Amada (3).

EVA MENDES LEFT ACTING TO BE A MOTHER

Eva Mendes was last seen on the big screen in 2014 in the movie Lost River, a film that her partner Ryan Gosling wrote and directed. And that’s been it.

When her firstborn came, Mendes felt she needed to move away from the Hollywood atmosphere, one that she had been hard at work in for 20 years. Her focus was to be a mom. As she told USA Today, “I felt a lack of ambition, if I can be honest,” she said. “I feel more ambitious in the home right now than I do in the workplace.”

While Eva Mendes and Gosling have not yet tied the knot, they do raise their kids together. But her plans are to raise them as far away from the Hollywood spotlight as she can.

“What I try to emphasize is that I don’t let them see me put attention to how I dress. They’ve never seen me get ready for something; they’ve never seen me at work,” Eva said. “Which is fine, for whoever wants to do it that way, but the way I keep it normal is by not letting them see me in these situations. I’m just Mom. And I’m more than happy to just be Mom.”

EVA MENDES HAS A FASHION COMPANY

Now 48-years-old, Eva Mendes has, for now, stopped her acting career. That doesn’t mean she hasn’t kept busy. She continues to work hard on her fashion line for New York & Company.

Ryan Gosling is all on board when it comes to her fashion line. “Ryan is incredibly supportive and he’s always in awe,” she told PEOPLE. And of the hard work? “He makes me realize that [making the collection] is actually a lot of work,” Mendes added. “I have so much fun doing it, that I don’t really realize.”

Does Eva Mendes have any plans to return to acting? She responded to this question on this Instagram post…

Commenting on Instagram she says: “As a mother now, there are many roles I won’t do. There are many subject matters that I don’t want to be involved with, so it limits my choices and I’m fine with that. I have to set an example for my girls now.”

There have been rumors that she may come out of retirement for a cameo in an upcoming Fast & Furious movie. For now though, those are just rumors. For the foreseeable future, Mendes seems to be happy being a mom to her daughters and keeping busy with her fashion line. Nothing wrong with that.

SHE WAS ACCUSED OF HAVING PLASTIC SURGERY

The now former actress has been facing accusations that she may have gotten plastic surgery. It all started with this post left on Instagram…

People began leaving comments questioning her appearance. Eventually, Eva was forced to respond saying, “I’m not sure why I’m answering you but here I go. I’m posting less because I really want to be present for my family. My little ones need me and posting takes up too much time. As far as getting work done, I’ll do that whenever I please. But no, that’s not the reason. The reason is I personally cannot juggle family and social media. So -big shocker- I choose family. Lotsa love to you out there.”

That settles that.