Eva Mendes said she has focused on her family and business ventures
(Picture: Andrew Toth/Getty Images for New York & Company)Eva Mendes has insisted she never quit acting, instead choosing to be home with her children and focus on other business ventures.
The Cuban-American actor is best known for her roles alongside Will Smith in Hitch, Will Ferrell in The Other Guys, and Ghost Rider opposite Nicholas Cage.
However, fans of the 48-year-old noticed that she had taken a hiatus from being in front of the camera, having only made three film and television appearances since 2013.
Mendes, who has two children with fellow film star Ryan Gosling, 41, hit back at claims she quit Hollywood in a new Instagram post and explained why she hasn’t focused on her acting career over the past nine years.
Alongside a video showing various outlets reporting she “quit acting”, she wrote that her hiatus was partly to blame on the “stereotypical roles” being offered to her.
Before her voice character work in animated series Bluey in 2021, Mendes last starred in her partner’s directorial debut, Lost River, in 2014.
She commented: “I never quit acting.
“I wanted to be home with my babies and, fortunately, my other business ventures allowed me to do that more than acting would.
“Also, I was not excited about the stereotypical roles being offered to me at the time. Especially after working on the film Lost River - that was a dream project. That’s a tough act to follow.
“What’s the point of this post? To shift that narrative. I never quit.”
The pair began dating in 2011, not long before they starred together in 2012 drama The Place Beyond the Pines.
The couple is parents to two daughters, eight-year-old Esmeralda Amada and Amada Lee, six.
Mendes spoke about her acting career in May, when she explained that she has some specific criteria for what projects she will choose.
Appearing on The View at the time, she shared: “I have such a short list of what I will do. Like, before kids, I kind of was up for anything — I mean, if it was a fun project.
“But now I won’t do violence, I don’t want to do sexuality, I don’t want to do... the list is short.”
Aside from Hollywood, Mendes was announced as the co-owner and brand ambassador for Skura Style, a lifestyle brand that creates innovative kitchen-cleaning tools, in May.
Prior to her foray into kitchen products, she partnered with clothing brand New York and Co to design her own apparel line, the Eva Mendes Collection. She also had a tabletop and bedding line for VIDA.
