Eva Mendes - Latina Magazine

Read on as Latina reveals what you may not have known about this sultry starlet

On the hot opening scene of We Own the Night…

“Unfortunately, yes [I had to get buzzed]. It was a big deal, even though you’ve seen me do more nudity. We were rehearsing the scene one morning, and I started crying like a little Catholic girl.”

“I told him (Papi) and everybody else in my family to come 15 minutes late [to the premiere at the Cannes Film Festival].”

On the Ideal Role…Dark & Risqué!

“A lot of actresses are so stuck on looking beautiful, and I really am not. I’m about letting the beauty and the ugliness come out.”

Fave Latina Actresses in Hollywood:

“I admire all of us, because it’s not easy to tear down boundaries. I adore Penelope Cruz. I remember going to see Volver and just crying. I love the up-and-coming ones, too, like Zoë Saldana – she’s a really funny girl. I just want more of us.”

Looking back to her childhood:

“It’s just so hard to go to school and be a 12-year-old, period. I wanted to have finer features, I didn’t want to be so dark, I didn’t want to have my mom speaking Spanish in front of the school where everyone was watching. But thank G-d it was just a phase.”

As for her beau, George Augusto…

“Even if you’re complete opposites, what matters is that you balance each other out, like a see saw – you don’t want to be on the floor or up in the sky. I’m really high-strung, loud and obnoxious. My boyfriend is quiet, mild-mannered and completely rational, whereas I’m completely emotional.”

Looking into the future…

“[If I had a daughter], I would teach her about culture. That’s probably why I don’t have kids yet. I feel like I need to go to Cuba first – whether Castro is in power or not – and figure out some stuff on my own. I guess it would be fun to go with my daughter and find out together.”