Ryan Gosling reveals the moment he knew he wanted children with Eva Mendes

Gosling and Mendes have been together since 2011 and share two daughters

Ryan Gosling has shared a rare glimpse into his relationship with actor Eva Mendes and his journey to becoming a father.

In a new cover story for the June/July 2023 issue of GQ, the Barbie actor opened up about the moment he learned Mendes was expecting their first child. Gosling, 42, and Mendes, 49, started dating in 2011 after they starred opposite each other in The Place Beyond the Pines, in which they played a couple with an infant son.

Prior to their relationship, Gosling admitted that he didn’t think much about becoming a father – until the moment Mendes told him she was pregnant. “Eva said she was pregnant,” he recalled. “I would never want to go back, you know? I’m glad I didn’t have control over my destiny in that way, because it was so much better than I ever had dreamed for myself.”

The couple soon welcomed their first child, daughter Esmeralda, in 2014, followed by a second daughter, Amada, in 2016. Despite multiple reports speculating that the pair are secretly married, neither Gosling nor Mendes have confirmed their relationship status.

For the past decade, Gosling and Mendes have managed to keep many details about their relationship private. Although the couple have opened up more about their relationship in recent years, the parents have kept their family life out of the spotlight.

While speaking to GQ, the La La Land star explained that he took a four-year absence from Hollywood because he “wanted to spend as much time as I could with [his family].” Gosling revealed that he and Mendes don’t have a nanny for their two young daughters, but when it comes to his parenting skills, he will “just lean on Eva” when he doesn’t know what to do in a situation.

“She knows what’s important, always. She just somehow knows. So if ever I’m in my head about it, I just ask her,” he explained.

Elsewhere in the interview, Gosling clarified previous comments he made about the moment Mendes learned she was pregnant. While he maintained that he “wasn’t thinking about kids” before they met, Gosling said, “After I met Eva, I realised that I just didn’t want to have kids without her.”

“I was looking for her, you know?” he added. When asked if he was aware that he was searching all his life for his current partner, Gosling replied: “No. But it all makes sense now.”

Gosling stars as Ken in the highly-anticipated live-action Barbie film, directed by Greta Gerwig. Eva Mendes previously showed her support for the cast announcement last June when she posted a picture of Gosling dressed as Ken – complete with bleach blonde hair, tanned skin, and six-pack abs – on Instagram.

“So. F. Funny. So. F. Good. So F excited for you to see this…” she wrote alongside the photo.

Meanwhile, Gosling revealed that Mendes has “been very supportive” of his role as Ken. He previously said on The One Show, “She’s supporting my Kenergy. She started a hashtag, That’s My Ken, which meant a lot to me.”

Although Eva Mendes has remained supportive of Ryan Gosling throughout his career, the Hitch star revealed that she will not join her longtime partner on the red carpet at the Barbie movie premiere.

Last April, she posted a throwback video of herself and Gosling from the set of their 2012 film, The Place Beyond the Pines. In an Instagram comment under Mendes’ post, one fan wrote: “I really hope Barbie will get through the awards season just to see you with Ryan … I know I’m selfish and probably a dreamer but I will never stop [dreaming] about it.”

In response, Mendes thanked the fan for the “cool comment” but revealed that she won’t be joining Gosling for the press tour of the film. “You’re the best! What a cool comment, thank you. But we don’t do those things together,” she wrote back. “Like these photos I’ve been posting, I’m only comfortable posting because it’s already out there.”