Ryan Gosling’s Kids The Fruit of a Love Story

Now that the new “Barbie” movie teaser trailer just dropped, let’s just say Ryan Gosling is the Ken we didn’t know we needed. His pink tracksuits, rollerblades, and bleach blonde hair just sent us shockwaves, especially knowing he loves saying the word “coño” and eating arroz con leche… at least outside of Barbie world. Swoon. But how did the London, Canada-born actor even hear about arroz con leche? Well, he owes that to his longtime love and fellow actress Eva Mendes, who has shown him the ropes of dating a Latina since 2011.

Gosling and Mendes kindled their romance in 2011 while filming “The Place Beyond The Pines” together in Schenectady, New York, and immediately hit it off.

While the “Drive” actor had previously dated Rachel McAdams, Mendes had recently broken off a longterm relationship with film producer George Augusto. The timing was just right, and let’s just say imagination was their creation. One infamous date to Disneyland later, and the two found their ever after for 12 years and counting. Let’s dive into their love story, which is way more fantastic than anything plastic. Yup, we’re telling our kids they were Barbie and Ken, don’t @ us.

Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes met on the set of their 2011 film “The Place Beyond The Pines”

You might remember the 2011 drama “The Place Beyond The Pines,” which centers on crime, justice, family duties, and corruption in in Schenectady, New York. Of course, it also stars Gosling and Mendes as love interests Luke and Romina, and their chemistry on set was off the charts. Gosling told ELLE in 2013, “The kind of environment that [director Derek Cianfrance] puts you in evokes a kind of connection.”

Sparks immediately flew, with the actor describing, “I think we all have a chemistry with one another because we were the only actors in the vicinity, because everyone else was a real person from [Schenectady].”

Meanwhile, Mendes has often described what a life-altering experience acting alongside Gosling was. She told Oprah Daily in 2019, “I would love to either act opposite him again or be directed by him at some point. I just love working with him.” In a recent Instagram post, the Cuban-American actress shared that it’s been a decade since the movie’s release, and says it feels like “lifetimes” ago. Still, it’s clear to see their chemistry is still going strong.

A slew of dates later, and the two were obviously in love— but kept it secret for years

After their 2011 on-set romance, it was clear to both actors that they had met the love of their lives. One “Hitch,” though? They are fierce sticklers for privacy. Still, thanks to the paparazzi, we do know a bit about their early dating life.

As per People, they had one of their first public dates in Disneyland in September 2011, where they were “holding hands” and eating popcorn and cotton candy. By November 2011, the two had pretty much the most romantic Thanksgiving ever recorded. Mendes was busy filming “Holy Motors” in Paris, so Gosling flew in to keep her company. The couple ate at an Argentine restaurant and even toured the Père Lachaise Cemetery, the city’s catacombs, and the Eiffel Tower. They also rung on New Year’s Eve together that year in NYC, and spent New Year’s Day at a movie theater with Gosling’s mom.

By September 2012, the two walked the Toronto International Film Festival red carpet together alongside the rest of the cast of “The Place Beyond The Pines.” Neither had confirmed their relationship yet, and they only took group photos. One look at Getty Images, and those are still the only red carpet photos Mendes and Gosling have ever taken together. Yep, they never walked a red carpet together again, and it all goes down to their desire to keep their love private.

As Mendes more recently explained on Instagram, “I have always had a clear boundary when it comes to my man and my kids. I’ll talk about them of course, with limits, but I won’t post pictures of our daily life.” And for them, red carpets are more of a work thing than a show-off-their-love kind of thing.

By 2014, they gave birth to a child… and a film project

2014 was a big year for the couple, who teamed up to give us all the thriller film “Lost River.” The movie was written and directed by Gosling, and starred Mendes and fellow actresses Christina Hendricks and Saoirse Ronan. Plus, it was extra special for the actor because it was semi-autobiographical, focusing on a single mother supporting her kids through a financial crisis.

Mendes told Oprah Daily, “Being in the film Lost River was nothing short of a magical experience… In a career of 20+ years, to have my two most incredible creative experiences be with him, of course, I’d want a third.” So we can only hope that get a third collab between them soon!

Even bigger than a movie project? Well, their first child. The two welcomed their daughter Esmeralda Amada Gosling on September 12, 2014, naming her after Esmeralda from Victor Hugo’s “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” Plus, Amada was Mendes’ grandmother’s name.

About motherhood, Mendes said she never wanted kids before meeting Gosling. She told People, “I never wanted babies before until I fell in love with Ryan, and it kind of worked out to where I was 40 and having my first baby.”

Of course, the experience was nothing short of life-changing for both of them. The Canadian actor described fatherhood to GQ: “Your whole life you hear what it’s like to have kids, and all the clichés are true. I felt I knew that everything would be different, but until you experience that, there’s no way to really know what people mean.”

The actor also described his sheer awe at Mendes’ maternal instinct. “Eva’s the dream mother, and they’re dream babies, and it’s like a dream that I’m having right now. I’m dreaming it all.”

Then, the couple had their second child— and Gosling dedicated his Golden Globe to Mendes’ brother

The couple welcomed their second daughter Amada Lee Gosling on April 29, 2016, who was also named after Mendes’ grandmother. So why give both daughters the name Amada? As per Hello!, Mendes explained, “My grandmother’s name is Amada, and Esmeralda Amada is the name of our oldest. We had a few names picked out for our new baby, and when she was born, we didn’t feel like those names were her.”

Gosling and Mendes tried out the name Viviana for their second daughter, but just knew Amada was meant to be. While some might find it strange, the actress pushed back on that. “In true Latin fashion, we reuse names all the time… I actually told [Ryan], ‘This is common in Latin culture, so it wouldn’t be crazy.'” And that was that.

By January 2017, Gosling accepted his Golden Globe award for Best Comedy/Musical for his role in “La La Land,” and his speech gave us goosebumps. During the speech, he talked about Mendes’ support throughout the filming process. “While I was singing and dancing and playing piano… my lady was raising our daughter, pregnant with our second, and trying to help her brother fight his battle with cancer.”

He continued, “If she hadn’t have taken all that on so that I could have this experience, it would surely be someone else up here other than me today”

By the end of the speech, he dedicated his award to the memory of Mendes’ brother Juan Carlos Mendes.

Today, Mendes’ Instagram sometimes gives us cute insights into their loving relationship… and yes, they may be married

Fast-forward to the 2020s, and Mendes’ IG page gives us life. For one, after a fan commented “You need to tell Ryan to get you out more,” she replied: “No thank you, I’m good. Rather be home with my man than anywhere else in the world.” We love them. While Gosling is not on IG, she sometimes posts photos hyping him up, too. For example, back in July 2022, she reposted an interview Gosling did talking about Mendes’ mom’s arroz con leche… and his love of saying “coño.”

As he put it, “You can’t use it incorrectly. It’s everything… Coño is always there for you.” LOL.

And while Mendes will post the rogue Gosling thirst trap on her IG every now and then, they never post photos of their children. And yes, it’s all about their love of keeping their family life private. As the “Girl In Progress” actress explained to an Instagram commenter, “Since my children are still so little and don’t understand what posting their image really means, I don’t have their consent. And I won’t post their image until they’re old enough to give me consent.”

Even more? Ryan Gosling kids don’t really even know their parents are famous, at least since we last checked in 2019. Mendes told Oprah Daily, “They are not aware. We are definitely just mom and dad to them, and we’re trying to keep it that way as long as possible.”