Eva Mendes Didn’t Expect to be ‘Locked Down’ by Ryan Gosling

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Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling have been opening up about their private relationship over the past year. After previously noting she was happy to quit acting to raise their children, Esmeralda and Amada, at home, the 50-year-old actress is getting candid in a new interview about being “locked down” by the 43-year-old Barbie star.

“I don’t succumb to societal pressure. Whatever I want to do, I do,” Eva told PEOPLE in an interview published on Wednesday, May 1. “I certainly didn’t think I’d have kids and be locked down. So, I’m really happy that a certain man came into my life and made me change my mind about all that stuff.”

The outlet also noted that Eva said leaving her acting career to focus on parenting was “the easiest decision” for her. “All those years are just so formative,” she added, referring to her daughters’ childhood. “I wanted to be there for all of it.”

One day prior, Ryan explained to the same outlet how he and Eva split up their time as mom and dad.

“She is with the girls, and when she works, I stay home with the girls too,” he said at The Fall Guy premiere on Tuesday, April 30, in Los Angeles.

The Oscar nominee also credited his wife with his growth as an actor. “I couldn’t be here without her,” Ryan continued. “She’s also like my acting coach. She has really become the best acting coach I have ever had, it’s endless how she helps me.” 

Last month, the pair — who have been together since they met in 2011 on the set of their film, The Place Beyond the Pines — made headlines after Eva described the unspoken “agreement” they had for her to become a stay-at-home mother.

“It was almost just like a non-verbal agreement that it was like, ‘OK, he’s going to work, and I’m going to work. I’m just going to work here,’” she said on TODAY. “He went, and he did his job. He just happens to be really good at his job. And he did it, and he came home.”

During the interview, Eva doubled down on how simple it was for her to leave showbiz to become a full-time parent.

“I’m so lucky if I could have this time with my children,” she said before adding that it was a “no brainer” for her to adjust her lifestyle.