Eva Mendes Says Ryan Gosling Passed This Skill on to Their Daughters
John Kim
Updated on February 22, 2026
Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling tend to be so quiet about their relationship and their kids that it's easy to forget they've been together for nearly a decade. But in a brand-new interview with the Australian outlet Now to Love, published on Oct. 23, Mendes got uncharacteristically candid about Gosling as a father, including revealing the skill their daughters—Esmeralda, 6, and Amada, 4—got from him. Sure, any fan of Gosling's knows he can act and sing and dance, but it turns out, he's quite the artist, too. To learn more about the adorable family of four, read on. And for more famous duos, here are Vintage Photos of Celebrity Couples When They First Got Together.
"Ryan is such an amazing actual artist," Mendes told Now to Love. "I really see that [in the girls] coming from his side. He's always drawing with them."
While Mendes has a lot of talents herself, she admits art is not one of them, so she leaves that to Gosling. "I, like, finger paint, but he actually draws, and he's just an amazing artist," she said. "They take their little sketchpad, and they sit with him, and they draw together. It's great that he has that to offer them."
Mendes and Gosling have built a private life together after meeting on the set of The Place Behind the Pines in 2011. However, Mendes has been a bit more public about their home life lately. Here are more sweet things Mendes has said about her little family recently. And for more celebrity couple news, see Miranda Lambert and Her Husband Get Romantic in New Music Video.
1 On parenting in quarantine
In an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, published on Oct. 17, Mendes revealed that lockdown with her kids sometimes "feels like we are running some kind of bed-and-breakfast with very drunk and aggressive guests," she joked about dealing with the needs of Esmeralda and Amada. "We really do feel like we are working in a hotel, and the guests are angry and bossy and demand food brought to them. And by the time they go to sleep, we're left to just clean up and talk about how they've treated us that day!"
But ultimately, she said, she's savoring this time at home with her family. "I know that I'll be looking back at this time as maybe, ironically, as one of the best times of my life just because I have my family together, we're safe, and we're all here," she told Now to Love.
2 On getting through the tantrums
Mendes had some sage advice to pass on about parenting young children, especially if, like Amada, they're "still a little tantrumy": "Someone told us early on, a friend of ours, he said: 'No matter if it's good or bad, whatever you're going through with them is just a phase. So either like, it's going to pass soon, or really just cherish it.' And we've held onto that for a good six years," Mendes told Now to Love readers. "It's helped us get through the harder, more challenging no sleep times." And for more celebrities and their kids, check out Kate Hudson's Lookalike Son Does a Hilarious Impersonation of Her.
3 On equal roles in parenting
At the end of April, Mendes fought off an internet troll in defense of her man's parenting skills. Mendes posted a picture of herself on Instagram with the caption, "Tired Mama. Stayed up laaate trying to make my baby's 4th birthday extra special since she won't see the family. Here's to all you having a quarantine birthday …sending extra love."
A few followers took Mendes' caption in a gendered way, with one writing she should "stop assuming it's always the female that carries all the home's work load." Another accused Mendes of coming off as a "single mother" and wondered why she never mentions her husband on Instagram.
Mendes came back with the perfect response. "Sorry, but it's mostly women who follow me on this page. I like to connect to the women. It's just my nature. I'm a girl's girl. Has absolutely nothing to do with 'stereotyping.' Sending love to you, to all the tired papas and all the tired caregivers from this tired mama," she wrote. "It's not about excluding the fathers or other caregivers that do so much. It's just me connecting to other women, but in no way does it de-value what papas do. And why I don't talk about Ryan and all the wonderful things he does as a father is because I keep that part private." And for more up-to-date celebrity news, sign up for our daily newsletter.
4 On staying home
When another hostile commenter came for Gosling, Mendes backed him up once more. Earlier in October, Mendes posted a throwback picture of her running on the beach. The caption read: "Went for a run on the beach this morning. No I didn't. This picture was taken at least 15 years ago. Haven't seen a beach this year. Haven't been on a run this year." One surly commenter responded, "You need to tell Ryan to get you out more," to which Mendes replied, "No thank you, I'm good. Rather be home with my man than anywhere else in the world!" Aw! And for other celebrity romances that have withstood the test of time, check out The Longest-Lasting Marriages in Hollywood.
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