Eva Mendes made a rare appearance as she stepped out in London on Tuesday, but fans shouldn’t take it as a sign that she is ready to return to the spotlight any time soon.
The actress, 51, was seen running errands in Notting Hill, dressed down in a khaki, oversized sweater dress with tan knee-high leather boots and a large shoulder bag.
Mendes – who shares two children with actor Ryan Gosling, 44 – is currently in London while her husband kicks off filming on the upcoming epic, Star Wars: Starfighter.
But as Gosling’s star power continues to rise, Mendes’ most important role these days is being a supportive wife and doting mom.
‘Eva is in no rush to go back to acting on any regular basis as she is very happy being a mom,’ an insider exclusively told the Daily Mail.
‘Friends and Ryan bring it up to her from time to time, but she has been very content not being in Hollywood. Her focus is on seeing her daughters get through high school and go to college.’
Eva Mendes made a rare appearance for the first time in six months as she stepped out to run errands in Notting Hill on Tuesday
The actress, 51, who has kept a low profile over the last year, shielded her face with a baseball cap while picking up some shopping
The A-list Hollywood couple have been together for over a decade after meeting on the set of 2012’s The Place Beyond the Pines, though they’ve never publicly confirmed long-held speculation that they are secretly married.
In the years since, Mendes and Gosling have welcomed two daughters together: Esmeralda Amada, born in 2014, and Amada Lee, born in 2016.
The source maintained that the mother of two ‘would consider a return’ to Hollywood if her children ‘asked her to act in something,’ but for now the pair are very content with Gosling being the ‘movie star of the family’.
Mendes’ last on-screen acting project was in 2014, when she co-starred in fantasy-mystery film Lost River, written and directed by Gosling.
While she never made a formal retirement announcement, Mendes has previously opened up about her decision to step away from the big screen.
Speaking to the Sunday Times last year, she admitted that she ‘wasn’t a great actress.’
‘I was never in love with acting. I don’t mean this in a self-deprecating way, but I wasn’t a great actress. I had my moments when I worked with really great people,’ she said, adding that her proudest films were the two projects in which she worked with her now-husband.
‘He gets something out of me that’s never been accessible before,’ she said about him.
Mendes and Gosling first met in August 2011 after they both signed on to star in crime drama The Place Beyond The Pines (seen) as love interests, with their romance continuing off-screen
The couple, who share two daughters, were seen together at the 2024 Paris Olympics
In a 2022 Instagram post, Mendes clarified that she ‘never quit acting,’ but rather ‘wanted to be home with my babies and fortunately my other business ventures allowed me to do that more than acting would.’
Those business ventures include Skura Style, a range of high-quality sponges; her clothing line with New York & Company; her CIRCA Beauty makeup brand sold exclusively at Walgreens; and her 2024 children’s book Desi, Mami, and the Never-Ending Worries.
The source revealed that Mendes is ‘looking to do more books’ in the future, and even ‘launch some businesses’ with Gosling.
‘She’d love them to work on other ventures outside of acting together,’ they added.
As for the Oscar nominee, his business portfolio includes production company General Admission, which he launched in 2024 alongside co-founder Jessie Henderson.
For now, Mendes is more focused on settling her family into their new London digs as Gosling works on Star Wars, which is being directed by Shawn Levy and slated for a 2027 release.
‘She is enjoying Notting Hill as Ryan is really excited for his Star Wars film, everyone is very happy with the living arrangements right now,’ the source said.
Mendes’ latest outing comes after she celebrated her 51st birthday in March this year.
A source told DailyMail.com that Mendes ‘would consider a return’ to Hollywood if her children ‘asked her to act in something,’ but she’s more focused on her business ventures and being a mother
The source said that both Mendes and Gosling are content with the Barbie actor being the ‘movie star’ of the family
She marked the major milestone on Instagram by sharing photos of her campaign with designer Stella McCartney.
‘My new campaign and my new age just dropped! I’m 51 today and so grateful for all the reasons,’ she captioned the post.
In the snap, Mendes pouted for the camera while wearing a sheer black dress, which also featured a thigh-high slit and a cutout at her toned midriff
She added: ‘Especially grateful to @stellamccartney for making the most beautiful, cruelty-free clothing that I feel so great in. I’ve worked with amazing designers throughout my career but I’ve never felt sexier in anyone else’s designs than hers.
While she revealed that she was missing out on attending Stella’s Paris Fashion Week show at the time, which included the likes of Cameron Diaz and Kate Moss, she explained that she was celebrating her birthday with her family.
‘I hate that I can’t be there at your fashion show today but I have the best reason in the world – I’m with my family. Sending out loads of love today and every day’.
The Daily Mail has contacted representatives for Mendes and Gosling for comment.
