Actor Denzel Washington is one of the most prolific actors working in the industry today. The actor has won the Academy Award twice and has single-handedly changed the way African-American characters are depicted in films. He has been part of dramatic films as well as headlined action blockbusters.
Washington is also known for his outgoing and helping nature. He is always regarded as a helpful actor by his co-stars. Actress Eva Mendes, known for her roles in films like We Own The Night, credits Washington for having stopped her from quitting the acting business altogether.
Eva Mendes’ Career Hit A Slump
Before Denzel Washington changed Eva Mendes’ fate with Training Day, the actress only starred in a supporting capacity in lesser-known films. She starred in the direct-to-video film Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror and featured along with Scarlett Johansson in the children’s film My Brother the Pig.
Mendes had mentioned that she was tired of the roles she was being offered at the time and was determined to look for other work before she auditioned for Training Day. After getting the role, the actress reportedly went crazy and was thankful to Denzel Washington for reinvigorating her career. She starred alongside Washington again in Out of Time. The actress then had a sprawling career as she starred in films like Ghost Rider, We Own The Night, and The Place Beyond The Pines. She starred with her now-husband, Ryan Gosling, in the latter.
However, the actress has since taken a break from acting, appearing in fewer roles. She has mentioned that her family is her priority at the moment, referring to the daughters she has with Gosling. She has also mentioned that she is happy with the kind of roles Latina actresses are being offered these days as opposed to what she used to get back when she was active. Mendes was last seen in Ryan Gosling’s directorial Lost River.
Denzel Washington Helped Eva Mendes Continue Acting
The Antoine Fuqua directorial Training Day was a career-defining role for many. Lead actor Ethan Hawke was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar and Denzel Washington earned his second Oscar for playing the role of Alonzo Harris, a corrupt LAPD narcotics cop. The film was a box-office hit, earning over $104 million globally against a $45 million budget.
The film also stars Eva Mendes, who plays Sara, Alonzo’s mistress. The film was her breakthrough as an actor, as she claims that before the film, she was only being offered cheesy and boring roles. By the time her audition for Training Day came up, she was ready to quit acting.
She credits working with Denzel Washington to be the primary reason why she chose to stick to the industry. The actress revealed in an interview with Female magazine,
“I was ready to quit acting before Training Day. I had been acting for about two-and-a-half years and I was doing bad TV shows…and I was like, ‘What am I doing? This isn’t going to be for me. It’s not working.’ I did Training Day, worked with Denzel Washington, and he was single-handedly responsible for me continuing acting.”
The success of Training Day and her appearance led to Eva Mendes starring in blockbuster films such as 2 Fast 2 Furious, Once Upon A Time In Mexico, and Ghost Rider. She also starred along with Will Smith Hitch, which made her the first Latina actress to headline a romantic comedy.
Training Day is streaming on Max.
Source: Female
