Eva Mendes says she was 'not a great actress'

The star of Night Belongs to Us has not filmed for ten years.

Eva Mendes is regularly questioned about her distance from Hollywood, since she was in a relationship with Ryan Gosling. Since they met in 2011 on the set of The Place Beyond the Pinesby Derek Cianfrance, has given him many successful roles, from La La Land has barbiewhile she has filmed very little, preferring to stay away from the cameras to take care of her family life, raising their two daughters. The last time she appeared in a feature film at the cinema was in 2014, the year Gosling's first directorial debut was released, Lost River. Since then, we've only heard her in one episode of Blueyon ABC Kids, in 2021.

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“I was never in love with the game”she confides to Sunday Times to explain his choice to no longer produce more films. However, from the end of the 1990s to the mid-2010s, she filmed for recognized filmmakers, from Antoine Fuqua (Training Day) to Leos Carax (Holy Motors) via James Gray (The Night belongs to us) and Werner Herzog (Bad Lieutenant). In the comedy register, it was also noticed by the Farrelly brothers (Two in one), Judd Apatow (Knocked up, instructions for use) or Adam McKay (Very Bad Cops). Without forgetting some blockbusters such as 2 Fast 2 Furious, Hitch Or Ghost Rider.

“I have never been in love with this profession, and this is not to belittle myself, but I have never been a great actress, she considers. I had a few moments where I worked with talented people, that's all.”

About her latest film, shot under the direction of her companion, she adds: “He manages to make me externalize something that I had never shown before.” Having already explained that if she returned in front of a camera, she would refuse projects that are too violent or sexualizedshe adds that for her, the easiest thing would be to return to a Ryan Gosling film: “That’s true, it’s something I would love to do.”

The American actress adds that she “signed for some really lousy roles”and that she was discouraged by the insistence of certain directors regarding her Cuban origins.

“There were some, at the beginning, they kept repeating about me: she's too ethnic for a certain role… It was crazy, it came up all the time. Then after a few years, it was reversed: 'Oh, choosing someone from a different background is so cool.' Or 'Being Latina is awesome.' These kinds of comments gave me energy: they made me so angry that it filled me with fuel.”

Words that fit his recent statements :

“I don't really know if I'll come back… If there are interesting roles, maybe? But in reality, I have the impression of having already done that. Having been around it. I feel say I've worked with Ryan Gosling before, who is, like, the best. It was such a career highlight working with him and what we created together on this film. (The Place Beyond the Pines2012) was so strong that I said to myself that it was the right time to go Seinfeld-style, that is to say, start on top. But who knows?”

Eva Mendes: “I never gave up acting”