Eva Mendes Admits She's Shocked to Have 'Kids and Be Locked Down' With Ryan Gosling at Age 50

Eva Mendes' life has seemed to be a happy accident.

The Hitch actress, 50, recently opened up about how taking a break from acting, welcoming two daughters, Esmeralda Amada, 9, and Amada Lee, 7, and being in a committed partnership with Ryan Gosling after the age of 40 totally took her by surprise.

"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," she admitted about how meeting the Notebook alum, 43, whom she began dating in 2011, rerouted her journey.

The turn of events made Mendes want to soak up every moment with her girls as they grow up, prompting her to quit her acting career.

"Because I was older, I knew, well, my kids are only going to be little once, and whatever I do or don't do right now is going to affect them the rest of their life. I didn't feel that as pressure at the time. I felt it as clarity. All those years are formative years. I wanted to be there for all of it," the matriarch said.

Despite giving birth to her babies later in life, Mendes emphasized how it was perfect timing for her. "When I was 40, it was a big deal for people when I was pregnant, and it wasn't for me," the mother-of-two said.

"And then I was 42 and I was pregnant with my second one and people were like, 'Oh my God, you're going to be so tired. That's why people have kids in their 20s.' I was like, 'That's the most asinine thing I've ever heard,'" Mendes added.

The Ghost Rider star made it clear she was thrilled she enjoyed her freedom in her young adult life before becoming a parent. "By the way, it takes more patience. In my 20s, I shouldn't have even been around a child. I was foul-mouthed and smoking. I definitely could not have raised kids in any other era of my life but now," she explained.

"I don't think I imagined my life over 30 when I was younger. I thought 30 was old then. I don't think I had a picture of what I wanted my life to look like. I never did, but I'm pretty happy it's turning out the way it is," Mendes revealed.

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People conducted the interview with Mendes.