Eva Mendes is a money-making mama!
Before leaving her acting career behind to pursue other endeavors and raise her daughters, Esmeralda Amada, 9, and Amada Lee, 7, with Ryan Gosling, the Hitch alum, 50, was making a nice chunk of change from the hit movies she filmed in the early 2000s.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Mendes is currently valued at $20 million for her filmography, modeling and business ventures.
The Miami-born star began her career in the 1990s, taking roles in movies like Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror and Urban Legends: Final Cut. She later moved on to bigger roles in projects like Training Day, 2 Fast 2 Furious and Once Upon a Time in Mexico.
Mendes also did many campaigns for brands like Calvin Klein, Reebok, Pantene and Cocio. In addition, the brunette beauty became the creative director and the face of the makeup brand CIRCA Beauty, and in 2013, she released her Eva by Eva Mendes collection at New York & Co.
These days, Mendes is content with life away from Hollywood. "It was like a no brainer. I'm so lucky, and I was like, if I can have this time with my children... and I still worked, I just didn't act because acting takes you on locations, it takes you away," the mother-of-two revealed in a recent interview of why she stopped taking on roles.
With this arrangement in their family, the Notebook alum, 43, is able to film while Mendes keeps an eye on their kiddos. "It was almost just like a non-verbal agreement that it was like, 'Okay he's going to work and I'm going to work, I'm just going to work here,'" she explained.
Although their dynamic may seem old-fashioned, Mendes has never harbored resentment toward Gosling for keeping his acting career going. "I've never experienced anything like that. The way he works, his commitment to his craft, how he wants to make everything as best as it can be — and that means making his costars as best as they can be. But unfortunately, or fortunately, there is only one Ryan!" she gushed.
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"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," Mendes raved of her man returning to their house to be a dad after his stellar performance of "I'm Just Ken" at this year's Oscars.
The Ghost Rider star and the Barbie actor met in 2011 while working on the movie The Place Beyond the Pines and have been together ever since.