Latina actress, entrepreneur and now author Eva Mendes has always carried the weight of her family's sacrifices on her shoulders. As the daughter of Cuban immigrants, Mendes felt a deep sense of responsibility to succeed, not only for herself but to honor the courage of her parents.
Her mother and father arrived in the United States with little more than hope, and it was that drive that shaped Mendes into the resilient, successful woman we see today. It has also shaped the family she has built with Ryan Gosling and even created a new version of him as well.
In a recent interview with Vogue México and Latin America, Mendes opened up about her journey and the immense pressure she placed on herself to prove that her family's sacrifices were not in vain. "I felt the weight, in a positive sense, of parents who emigrated to the U.S., and almost immediately after, I was born. I wanted to do something that showed their sacrifices made sense," she explained. From an early age, Mendes knew she had to strive for something great. "I didn't know what it was, but I knew I had to do something that would allow me to say, 'Mami, I'm going to buy you a house,'" she recalled, her voice filled with emotion.
That dream, the vision of buying her mother a house, became the cornerstone of her motivation. Mendes shared how, as a young girl, she would write notes to her mother, promising that one day she would fulfill that dream.
"My mom still has notes I wrote at seven or eight, telling her, 'I'm going to buy you a house.' That was my drive."
Eva Mendes, Will Smith and Miami
Despite not finishing college, Mendes found her way into the entertainment world, albeit in an unconventional manner. "The first thing I did was music videos. It wasn't high fashion modeling or anything like that," she laughed. One of those videos was Will Smith's "Miami".
As Mendes' career took off, from music videos to major films like "Training Day," she never lost sight of her roots.
"There are two things very Cuban about me. One is my ability to take something bad and turn it into humor, and the other is the anxiety. I don't know if it's just a Cuban thing, but we're anxious people!"
Raising a family with Ryan Gosling
Her Cuban pride extends to her home life, particularly in how she and Gosling raise their two daughters, Esmeralda and Amada.
Mendes and Gosling's relationship, which began in 2011, has always been a subject of admiration, not just for their love story, but for the way Gosling has embraced Mendes' Cuban heritage. "He has a Cubanazo (a big Cuban guy)inside him that I can't explain," Mendes laughed, referencing how Gosling has fully immersed himself in the Cuban culture.
Their daughters call him "Papi," a clear nod to his integration into their Cuban lifestyle. Mendes recalls the moment Gosling first tried her mother's black beans and rice: "It was like he said, 'How did I live this long without this?'" she joked. "He's more Cuban than I am sometimes," she added, further explaining how their parenting styles align perfectly, especially when it comes to being protective of their daughters. "I'm the typical Cuban mom who says, 'You're not having a sleepover because I don't know those people!' And you know who else is like that? The Cuban Ryan!"
Mendes beams with pride when talking about Gosling, not only as her partner but as a father who has fully embraced her heritage. She acknowledges how seamless their bond is, how they've never had to adjust to each other's cultures. "We aligned from the beginning," she said with a smile.
"Desi, Mami, and the Never-Ending Worries"
Mendes has said she doesn't know if she will go back to acting. She has been modeling again. Besides the gorgeous photoshoot for Vogue, she is the Winter face for pal Stella McCartney's company, or has her mom, and every other Latina mom calls her "Estela."
After years guarding her family with Gosling's privacy, she has been making the rounds in talk shows and legacy publications promoting her first foray as an author: "Desi, Mami, and the Never-Ending Worries." It's a children's book available in English and Spanish about a girl who has obsessive thoughts about a monster. Her mother helps her understand what's happening.
Hopefully, the book helps anxious kids like Mendes says she was as a young girl.
And talking about understanding, and totally off topic, fans want to understand what is preventing her and Gosling from walking a red carpet together. Cuban Ryan is fine, Cuban Eva is even better, but the world want to see them together again. Cuban or not.
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