Eva Mendes says she is 'really happy' that Ryan Gosling came into her life and changed her mind

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Eva Mendes candidly opened up on how her husband Ryan Gosling changed her perspective on motherhood during a recent interview.

She expressed her contentment with the life she leads, attributing much of her happiness to her husband and their two daughters.

How did Ryan Gosling bring a positive change in Eva Mendes' life?

Mendes’ career took a backseat after the birth of her daughters Esmeralda Amada, nine, and Amada Lee, seven, in 2014 and 2016 respectively.

She described this decision as the “easiest” she’s ever made. She wanted to be present during all of their “formative” years which led to her and Gosling’s “non-verbal agreement” that she would step back from acting to raise their family.

"I wanted to be there for all of it," Mendes said in an intervew with People.

Reflecting on who was her inspiration, Mendes, who has always marched to the beat of her own drum, stated, “I don’t succumb to societal pressure. Whatever I want to do, I do.”

"I certainly didn’t think I’d have kids and be locked down. So I’m really happy that a certain man came into my life and made me change my mind about all that stuff," Mendes said as she gushed about her husband.

Eva Mendes reveals she welcomed her daughter in her 40's and explains why it would not have worked in her 20's

Nearly three decades after she made it in Hollywood, Mendes, who will publish her debut children’s book 'Desi, Mami, and the Never-Ending Worries' this fall, has learned to see the “beauty in my imperfections.”

Mendes was once asked what she can do confidently at the age of 50 that she wouldn’t have dared to do at 25.

"Raise kids. When I was 40, it was a big deal for people when I was pregnant, and it wasn’t for me," she answered.

"When I was 42 and I was pregnant with my second one and people were like, “Oh my God, you’re going to be so tired. That’s why people have kids in their 20s.” I was like, 'That’s the most asinine thing I’ve ever heard'," she added. 

"By the way, it takes more patience. In my 20s, I shouldn’t have even been around a child. I was foul-mouthed and smoking. I definitely could not have raised kids in any other era of my life but now," she further noted.

Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling's chemistery 

Gosling starred in 'Barbie,' 'The Gray Man' and quite a number of major hit films since becoming a father.

“It was like, ‘Ok, he’s going to work and I’m going to work, I’m just going to work here,'” Mendes said in March during an interview with ‘Today’.

“I’m so lucky.” The choice was a “no-brainer,” she continued, clarifying, “I still worked, I just didn’t act. Acting takes you on locations, it takes you away.”

Mendes and Gosling met and fell in love on set of 'The Place Beyond the Pines' in 2011.

Notably, the couple has neither confirmed nor denied engagement or marriage, except for Mendes casually calling Gosling her 'husband' in 2022.

They maintain a private personal life, yet Gosling has been noted for discreetly acknowledging his partner in public recently.