Eva Mendes Says Walking Away from Acting to Raise Her Daughters with Ryan Gosling Was a 'No Brainer'

The famous couple share daughters Esmeralda and Amada

Eva Mendes loves her role as a mom to two daughters.

During her appearance on the Today show on Tuesday, the actress, 50, elaborated on her decision to focus on raising her daughters Esmeralda Amada, 9, and Amada Lee, 7, with partner Ryan Gosling, 43, while the Barbie star continued in the industry.

"It was like a no-brainer," Mendes said. "I'm so lucky if I could have this time with my children."

The mom of two shared that while she does still work, she prefers not to act because "acting takes you on location. It takes you away."

"It was almost just like a non-verbal agreement that it was like, 'Ok, he's going to work and I'm going to work. I'm just going to work here,' " she explained. "He went and he did his job. He just happens to be really good at his job. And he did it and he came home."

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Related: Why Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling Moved Their Kids Out of L.A. (Exclusive)

In March, Gosling told PEOPLE that Mendes and his daughters gave him some tips before his 2024 Oscars performance of "I'm Just Ken" while at the world premiere of The Fall Guy at SXSW in Austin.

"It was great," the dad of two told PEOPLE. "It was so fun because they came to the dress rehearsal the day before and so they were in the front row."

"They gave me some tips and some notes, all great notes," he continued. "They are such a huge part of this for me...it was my girl's interest in Barbie and disinterest in Ken that got me into this in the first place. It was beautiful to have them there at the end."

This past February, Mendes eased her way back into the industry by attending Milan Fashion Week, sharing a photo on her Instagram.

"Mami's first fashion week in over 10 years!" Mendes wrote, sharing photos of her look from her outing in Milan. "Yup, I haven’t gone to a fashion event since I’ve been a Mama. Time flies when you’re mommying. Thanks for getting me out of the house @dolcegabbana !"

Earlier that month, she also shared that becoming a mom had changed her mind about Valentine's Day, posting a Reel to her Instagram in celebration of the holiday.

"I don’t like love Valentine’s Day. I used to be a rebel and be like, ‘No, Valentine’s Day is bull,' " she said in the video. "But now I like it. I’m a mom now and I’m all like soft and stuff.”

"Yup, I’m a softie now that I’m a Mami of two little girls! ♥️lotsa love out there today and always ♥️," she captioned the candid clip.

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