Every successful man has a strong woman behind him, and Eva Mendes is the perfect example of that. After a string of hit movies, such as Derek Cianfrance’s smash hit The Place Beyond the Pines, which sparked a protracted romance between her and Ryan Gosling, Mendes became a prominent actor in her own right.
The 2012 flick may have contributed to their off-screen romance, but the Barbie star genuinely detested his character. That being said, despite his reputation for giving melancholic and enticing performances on screen, Gosling found it difficult to fall in love with one particular role: that of the character in The Place Beyond the Pines. In fact, he hated the character so much that he felt “ashamed” to even look at himself in the mirror.
Let’s learn more about his disdain for the role, but before that, exploring Gosling and Mendes’ relationship is a must.
From On-Screen to Real-Life Romance: The Beginning of Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes’ Love Story
Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling fell in love while filming The Place Beyond the Pines in 2012. After a brief on-set romance, the two now have a strong relationship for 12 years and two children together. Though both celebrities are constantly in the public eye, what has always made them unique is how private their relationship has remained.
There was a lot of PDA, and Mendes was even “skipping around like a little girl”, according to Us Weekly. During that time, Gosling talked to Elle about his on-screen relationship and chemistry with his The Place Beyond the Pines co-star:
“I would like to say it’s our chemistry, but I think the reality is that it’s Derek’s process. I think that chemistry is evident in other relationships in the movie, as well, and the kind of environment that he puts you in evokes a kind of connection.”
In December 2015 Hello! interview, the Barbie star, 43, talked about his partner. He stated, “I am with the person I am supposed to be with”, and that the only characteristic in a woman that he was looking for was “that she is Eva Mendes”.
After years of whispers about their relationship, Mendes casually admitted that she and Gosling are married, referring to him as her husband. In an interview with Channel 9’s Today in Australia, she stated, “My husband, Ryan, is here, and we are having the best time”, as reported by Daily Mail.
What more? Gosling was even seen wearing a necklace around his neck that had the letter ‘E’ on it while promoting Barbie. He then explained to Entertainment Tonight that the necklace represented Eva Mendes while he talked about how his family had inspired him to discover his ‘kenergy’.
In The Place Beyond the Pines, the parents of two had an obvious chemistry both on and off-screen, but Gosling was having trouble embracing the role he was playing.
Ryan Gosling’s Disdain for His Role in The Place Beyond The Pines
Ryan Gosling portrayed a motorbike stunt rider in The Place Beyond the Pines who works as a criminal to support his family. However, during his candid chat with IndieWire, the actor claimed that robbing a bank in the 2012 flick was anything but easy:
“Because of the nature of the way that Derek wanted to shoot, he wanted to shoot a lot of the bank heists in one take, which involved riding up and riding the bank and then escaping.”
He had to get a facial tattoo for the film, which was the real issue with playing a character like that. Gosling could not help but complain to director Derek Cianfrance because he was so against it. The actor recalled:
“So I went to Derek and I said, ‘I can’t do this, this is ridiculous.’ And he said, ‘Well, this movie is about consequences, so now you have to pay for what you’ve done, and you have to have it for the whole movie.’ And I was so ashamed. I couldn’t look at myself in the mirror, and I couldn’t look at dailies, and I just felt embarrassed, and I think that was something I couldn’t have acted..”
Regardless, the endeavor proved fruitful, as the film garnered favorable reviews from critics and achieved moderate success at the box office. Despite having a $15 million budget, it brought in $47 million worldwide (Box Office Mozo).
The Place Beyond the Pines can be rented on Apple TV.
