Eva Mendes At 50: Why She Never Quit Hollywood
Eva Mendes is ringing in a major birthday with a major announcement. The Place Beyond the Pines star celebrates her 50th birthday on Tuesday (March 5). The mother of two hasn’t been in any movies in a decade. Instead, she’s stepping back into the fashion world, releasing a new children’s book, and supporting her partner Ryan Gosling’s Barbie award season run.
The Miami native, who shares daughters Esmeralda Amada, 9, and Amada Lee, 7, with Gosling, 43, recently announced her new picture book, titled Desi, Mami & the Never-Ending Worries. The book, which will be available in English and Spanish, releases later this fall. Taking to Instagram to make the announcement, Mendes said that this latest project of hers is a “true labor of love.” She adds: “Being the Mami to my two little girls has inspired me to write my first picture book.” In this book, “Desi & Mami try to deal with those scary thoughts that can take over (especially at night) and dominate our mind. Whether it’s the monster under their bed or the monster in their head, together they try to navigate another night of never-ending worries.”
Following her book announcement, Mendes also made another rare appearance. She made an appearance at Fashion Week for the first time in over 10 years. Since she became a “mama,” she reveals, adding, “Time flies when you’re mommying.” Despite her long hiatus from fashion week, Mendes was done up in Dolce & Gabbana wearing a leopard, leather, and corseted number with a retro beehive hair moment. In another IG post, she revealed her outfit inspiration came from “My Ken & Sofía Loren.”
Her last film role was in 2014’s thriller/fantasy Lost River, directed by Gosling, which flopped. In 2021, she provided her voice for the Bluey animated series as a yoga instructor in the episode “Born Yesterday.” In October 2022, Mendes clarified on Instagram that she wanted to shift the narrative. “I never quit acting.” She added at the time, “I wanted to be home with my babies and fortunately my other business ventures allowed me to do that more than acting would.”
RELATED: Ryan Gosling Knew He Wanted Kids With Eva Mendes While Filming ‘The Place Beyond The Pines’
She also pointed out that the roles being offered to her at the time weren’t exciting and stereotypical. Hyping up her partner’s Lost River being a “dream project,” Mendes lamented that “that’s a tough act to follow.” Though the couple keeps very private about their personal life, Gosling gave a shoutout to Mendes in January when he was honored at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. “Most importantly, I got to meet the girl of my dreams, Eva Mendes, and have two dream children.”
Ahead of her birthday, Mendes posted a playful “Pisces Mood(s)” photo of her wearing stacked glasses of different styles and colors.
These Celebrities Have March Birthdays
