Eva Mendes Is Not Sure Whether She'd Ever Return to Acting: 'Kind of Felt Like I Did It'

Eva Mendes isn't shutting the door completely on an acting return, but she's in no rush.

Sitting down with George Stephanopoulos for an interview that aired on Good Morning America Tuesday, Sept. 17, the Desi, Mami, and the Never-Ending Worries author said when asked about whether she'd ever act again, "I don't know."

"If there's interesting roles," said Mendes, 50, explaining, "I left at a time where it was also, 10 years ago ... I kinda felt like I did it, ya know?"

I was like, 'I just worked with Ryan Gosling, who's, like, the best,' " she joked of her longtime beau, whom first she met on 2013's The Place Beyond the Pines and shares two daughters with: Esmeralda, 10, and Amada, 8.

"It was such a high off my career to work with him and what we created together that I was like, 'This is a good time to, like, Seinfeld it and just walk out.' So, who knows?" Mendes added, likely referring to their 2014 film Lost River, which marked the directorial debut of Gosling, 43.

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Mendes established herself as a movie star through roles opposite Denzel Washington in Training Day (2001), Paul Walker in 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003), Will Smith in Hitch (2005), Nicolas Cage in Ghost Rider (2007) and more.

She last appeared onscreen in 2014's Lost River. But in October 2022, Mendes clarified on Instagram that "I never quit acting."

She added at the time, "I wanted to be home with my babies and fortunately my other business ventures allowed me to do that more than acting would."

"Also," Mendes continued, "I was not excited about the stereotypical roles being offered to me at the time. Especially after working on the film LOST RIVER — that was a dream project. That’s a tough act to follow."

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In her GMA conversation with Stephanopoulos, 63, Mendes also discussed her new children's book Desi, Mami, and the Never-Ending Worries.

"It's a buddy story about this little girl named Desi and her brain," said the mother of two. "And Desi has these never-ending worries — I have them, as well — and she tries to work with her brain to make sure it's not being a bully to her by sending all these negative thoughts her way, and that it's being like a BFF to her."

"And so it's about that relationship," Mendes added.

Desi, Mami, and the Never-Ending Worries is available now wherever books are sold.