Eva Mendes Says She Didn't Actually Quit Acting, And She Explained Why She Took A Break

    After headlines broke a few years ago that Eva had hung up her acting shoes for good, the actor returned to set the record straight.

    From the late 1990s to the mid-2010s, Eva Mendes was booked and busy when it came to acting roles.

    Eva smiles at an event while wearing a floral print dress with longs sleeves and a matching headscarf

    But Eva hasn't been in a movie for eight years now — specifically, since 2014's Lost River, which was directed by her partner, Ryan Gosling.

    Eva recently gave an interview to Variety in which she said she didn't "really miss" acting since her last role, which prompted the publication (as well as others) to report that she'd "quit" the biz altogether.

    As it turns out, those reports weren't quite right — and now Eva is setting the record straight.

    "I never quit acting," Eva wrote in an Instagram reel that showcased all the headlines claiming that she did quit acting.

    As Eva explained in her post, her extended acting hiatus has been largely driven by wanting to focus on her family.

    "I wanted to be home with my babies, and fortunately, my other business ventures allowed me to do that more than acting would," she said.

    Eva also explained that she was being offered "stereotypical roles" that didn't interest her — and that she hasn't found a role since Lost River, which she describes as her "dream project," that would be a suitable follow-up.

    "What's the point of this post?" she concluded. "To shift that narrative. I never quit. ♥️"

    So there you have it, straight from the source. If Eva ever returns to acting, don't be surprised — because she never really left!