Eva Mendes Was Strictly Anti-Marriage When She Started Dating Ryan Gosling

Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes are a Hollywood power couple that's managed to keep their relationship under the radar since 2011. The pair first started feeling sparks on the set of "The Place Beyond the Pines," and it didn't take long for them to realize they'd be a perfect match off-screen. Mendes and Gosling were first publicly linked when they enjoyed a magical Disneyland date in September 2011. A month later, paps caught them kissing in a car, and their relationship was officially confirmed. 

Their romance seemed to be heating up in June 2012 as Mendes and Gosling flew to Canada to support the "Drive" actor's mother, Donna, during her graduation. In April 2013, a source told Marie Claire that Donna couldn't be happier about her son's relationship with Mendes and wanted them to stay together in the long run. The insider added that Gosling had already earned Mendes' family's approval. In 2014, the couple welcomed their first daughter, Esmeralda Amada, and their second, Amada Lee, in 2016 (and both their names have a touching meaning).

In November 2022, Mendes sent the internet into a frenzy by showing off her new ink, which read "De Gosling," because the term "de" is used to denote a spousal relationship in Hispanic culture. Later in the month, she seemingly confirmed the marriage rumors by casually calling Gosling her "husband" while chatting with "Today" Australia, per People. However, their relationship might've looked a bit different if Mendes had prolonged her dislike for marriage.

A few months before Eva Mendes met Ryan Gosling, she told Hollywood Life that marriage wasn't a priority for her. The "Ghost Rider" star elaborated that although she didn't harbor any hatred for the idea of marriage, she believed that society made marriage out to be something essential when people could happily live without it. She further explained, "I just think it's a very old tradition, and if you look back to what marriage symbolizes in the first place ... it has nothing [to do] with why we get married today." 

Mendes went on to say that she found marriage dull. As a born rebel, she felt solace in going against something society vehemently insisted on. She also touched on her feelings towards marriage during an appearance on "Chelsea Lately." The "2 Fast 2 Furious" star shared that historically, people married to gain ownership over land, which she believed took away some of the allure of marriage. 

Mendes might've gone on to refer to Gosling as her husband in 2022, but she previously believed that the term would only get boring as she aged. Instead, Mendes felt more comfortable at the idea of calling someone boyfriend as she grew older. Handler also asked Mendes if she intended to marry her then-partner, George Augusto, whom she had been dating for nine years at the time. Mendes answered that she wouldn't marry because she felt their deep connection didn't need validation by a society-approved marriage certificate.

Weirdly enough, Ryan Gosling shared similar views about marriage shortly before his paths crossed with Eva Mendes. In a 2010 MTV interview, the "Barbie" star shared that he couldn't help but laugh at the idea that everyone just had to get married. He believed that people should only consider marriage after finding someone right for them instead of jumping into a union to tick off a societal box. Speaking to Glamour in January 2011, he shared that he went back and forth on his views about marriage. 

The "La La Land" actor said that since marriage wasn't a childhood dream for many boys, they tended to avoid it into their adulthood. But meeting Mendes washed away all his doubts. In a 2023 GQ interview, he spoke fondly about Mendes, "I wasn't thinking about kids before I met her, but after I met Eva, I realized that I just didn't want to have kids without her," he added. "And there were moments on 'The Place Beyond the Pines' where we were pretending to be a family, and I didn't really want it to be pretend anymore." 

Gosling gushed that Mendes helped ease some of his parental anxiety because she instinctively always knew what was best for their kids. Interestingly, the power couple might've changed their minds about marriage before 2022. When Mendes appeared on "Kyle and Jackie O Show," she sneakily shared that although she unveiled her "De Gosling" tattoo in 2022, she had it done a while back.