Eva Mendes
Eva Mendes
Eva de la Caridad Méndezis an American actress and model. She began acting in the late 1990s, and after a series of roles in B movies such as Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terrorand Urban Legends: Final Cut, she made a career-changing appearance in Training Day. Since then she has co-starred in movies including All About The Benjamins, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Ghost Rider, We Own the Night, Stuck on You, Hitch and The Other Guys...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionMovie Actress
Date of Birth5 March 1974
CityMiami, FL
CountryUnited States of America
The careers that I admire and actually try to emulate are those of Julianne Moore and Annette Bening. Those women, to me, make amazing choices. They're sexy, beautiful women, but that doesn't dictate their choices.
It's flattering that people think I'm sexy, but it's not the end-all, be-all. The minute I put my self-esteem on what they think I am, I'm screwed, because one day they're not going to think I'm sexy.
If I had a child, and I accidentally walked in on him seeing something, I'd rather he'd be seeing two people making love, than two people killing each other. USA in such a violent country, that I'd rather support sex!
Being sexy is just one component. It's not a thing I am. It's a thing I can be. It's a side of myself I can tap into, just like I can tap into my funny side, my quirky side or my dramatic side. It's not what I am.
I just want to be known for things other than my sexuality.
I love it, but it's not important to me to always be thought of as sexy. I like it when it doesn't limit my career. It's a part of my life, but on a secondary plane
I know I walk a fine line between being a respected actor and being what they call a sex symbol.
I'm definitely responsible for the image that I put out there. But it does become frustrating, because I don't want 'sexy' to be my defining characteristic. I'd love for my ambition and will and intellect and sense of humour to define me as well.
I'm very comfortable with myself and my sexuality, but it doesn't define me. I also read books believe it or not.
Women now, we can juggle a lot of things. We're not just girlfriends or love interests. So that's really great to not just make her the chick and give her something to do.
Because my boyfriend plays there Monday nights ... and the pool.
What makes it frustrating is when a director or a studio head doesn't see me for the same part that they'll see, let's say, Drew Barrymore for. Drew's a great friend of mine. But it's like, "No, we want more of an American type of girl."
I'm drawn to a lot of tragedies, and I love a Greek tragedy.But I would think - I start thinking realistically about it, and performing eight days a week, that would take a toll. I take things to heart. I don't know if I could survive, like, "Medea."
I always see something for sure one time and then I make myself see it a second time. The second time is like, 'Okay, I'm not that bad. I'm not that horrible.' But the first time I just think I'm god-awful."