All About Eva Mendes

While in college, a talent scout was looking at a portfolio that belonged to one of Eva's friends. The portfolio contained a picture of Eva, and the talent scout was intrigued. The scout urged her to make a portfolio of her own and consider performing as a career option. She dropped out of college and began studying under the renowned Ivana Chubbuck, an acting coach who has trained the likes of such actors as Jake Gyllenhaal, Kate Bosworth and Brad Pitt. Chubbuck is also the author of a book "The Power of the Actor", and Eva was an avid student who kept her eyes and ears open.

As with most actors starting out, Eva had to work hard to get noticed by the right people. This included doing work in commercials and music videos, such as "Hole In My Soul" by Aerosmith and the speaking voice in the video "Miami" by Will Smith. She continued her training and took any paying job that came her way, no matter how insignificant it seemed to be. Some of the jobs were difficult, and they weren't getting her much recognition.

None of this deterred Mendes, as she developed her talent and range, learning from each part she took. She went through the same rejections and lean times that every actor goes through, becoming more determined to find that role that would put her over the top. The commercials, videos, and occasional stint on a soap opera would lead to more....she was sure of it.

Eva Mendes was never one to give up, and as she kept plugging away at each audition, she caught the eye of a casting director for the television series "ER", in 1998. This led to a guest stint on the show and got a chance to show her acting chops. It didn't lead to a blockbuster hit...as with most actors, Eva's first film role was a clunker..."Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror" It went directly to video and didn't get much of an audience.

Her roles over the next two years progressively got better. She showed her talent in such films as "My Brother the Pig"(1999) "The Disciples" (2000), and "Exit Wounds" (2001) among others. In "My Brother the Pig" she played a housekeeper/nanny named Matilda whose employers go on vacation, while she is left to tend to the children. The young boy is turned into a pig by some magic crystals, and it is up to Matilda to take the children to Mexico to find how to undo the curse and change the boy back to a human again.

She played a lesbian in the horror flick "Urban Legends: Final Cut" who was lured into a bell tower by the killer who had sent her a note.... a note she thought was from a girl she was interested in. Anyone who saw the film will never forget the scene where she was found hanging from the bell in the bell tower, and the movie was another example of the range this young actress had. It wasn't the breakthrough role yet... that one was yet to come.

Eva Mendes found her big break in the movie "Training Day" which was released in 2001. It starred Ethan Hawke and Denzel Washington as two LAPD cops. Washington is keeping his eye on Hawke for a possible promotion, and the film follows them for a twenty-four hour period. Mendes plays the character of Sara, who is the senior officer's (Washington) mistress. The movie, which was a box office hit and an award winner, (Denzel Washington received an Oscar for Best Actor) put Eva at the top of the running for young actresses to be on the watch for.

Within the next few years, Eva was receiving offers for movies left and right. Her personal life was looking up as well. In 2003, she met George Gargurevich, a Peruvian film director. They have had a relationship for the last several years, and while she often has to deny rumors of romances with costars such as Joaquin Phoenix (who was in the movie "We Own The Night" with her), they remain together. Eva's movie career continued on the upswing, and she also became the spokeswoman for Revlon Cosmetics and PETA used a nude photo of her in a promotion campaign against fur. She used her celebrity to vocally support Barack Obama in the recent presidential election.

While Eva has done several nude scenes and photos, she is quick to say that she decides which ones she will do. She has consistently refused to do Playboy spreads, however she has posed for the magazine, "Flaunt!" She also did a very racy ad for Calvin Klein's "Secret Obsession" perfume that was banned. She has however been uncomfortable doing romantic scenes, and has admitted that this is one of her challenges in acting. She starred recently in "The Women", and she is rumored to have a part in the upcoming incarnation of "Resident Evil". It is a safe bet that Eva Mendes will be gracing the screen for many years to come.

While Eva Mendes has managed to keep her head above most of the gossip mill of Hollywood, there have been some things that tabloids will not leave alone. She did check herself into the Cirque Lodge in Utah for undisclosed reasons in early 2008...the rumor mill said cocaine was the issue. There was also talk of a miscarriage resulting from the problem, although this was not confirmed by the actress herself. Publicly, all that was said was that she needed to take some time off to deal with personal

As with all celebrities, Eva has had to address rumors of being involved with co stars, most notably Joaquin Phoenix and Matt Damon. Her relationship George Gargurevitch goes through the gossip as well...one tabloid says they are together and happy, another says they are breaking up. The latest controversy is another Calvin Klein underwear ad that has her posing on a beach with a male model...in the ad, it appears Eva is overcoming her apprehension about romantic scenes! She has credited therapy for being able to finally enjoy the comforts of her success.

As the movie offers continue to roll in, and projects she has lined up come to fruition, Eva Mendes is fast becoming a star in its most classic definition. She has beauty, grace discretion, brains, talent, and strong convictions...a combination that makes her a true catch in the manic world of Hollywood. She is glad to be American, without ceasing to be proud of her Cuban heritage. There are several movie projects in various stages of production she is involved in, and she remains active in the anti-fur campaign. It is safe to say, this star will shine for a long time.

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