Eva Mendes wants to 'shift' the narrative that she stopped acting: 'I never quit'

Eva Mendes is setting the record straight on her career. The Hitch star shared a video montage of headlines about how she "quit acting," but clarified on Instagram that's not the case. It's been eight years since the actress appeared on screen.

"I never quit acting," Mendes wrote in the caption. "I wanted to be home with my babies and fortunately my other business ventures allowed me to do that more than acting would."

Mendes, who shares two children with Ryan Gosling, is the co-owner and brand ambassador for kitchen cleaning company, Skura Style. She also has a clothing line at New York & Company. The 48-year-old actress went on to say how the lack of good projects being presented to her has played a role in her choice to stay at home, too.

"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," she wrote. "Whats the point of this post? To shift that narrative. I never quit."

Mendes's last starring role was in 2014's Lost River, which happened to be the first film Gosling wrote and directed.

Mendes's last credited project was voicing a character on the animated children's show Bluey in 2021. The actress previously explained how there are certain roles she will no longer play now that she's a mom.

"I have such a short list of what I will do [now]," Mendes said on The View in May. "I mean, if it was a fun project [I'd do it]. But now I won't do violence, I don't want to do sexuality, the list is short."

Mendes has also opened up about how impactful it was to have her mom, Eva Perez Suarez, around growing up.

"My mom was able to be there for me at home until I was about 8 or 9," Mendes said on the Today show, "and those memories for me, that just formed who I was, those years with her."

Mendes and Gosling's daughters, Esmerelda and Amada, are ages 8 and 6.

MORE: Ryan Gosling gets explains how daughters inspired him to do Barbie movie