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There are tons of talented and beautiful women on the Hollywood scene. That’s pretty much a requirement. These things are necessities if you want to become a superstar actress. It’s caused plenty of controversy over the years. Men are often the stars of the show, and the women are often cast for a bit of eye candy, just something for the men who come to watch the movies to ogle at. As crude as it sounds, that is the case, and many women in Hollywood hate the fact they’re used in such a way. Someone who feels this way, as you’ll discover as you go through this article, is Eva Mendes. She came into Hollywood from a modelling background, and pretty much from the time she started out, she’s been cast in those stereotypical glamorous roles. But Eva is looking for a change. The Cuban-American beauty is fed up with being offered such roles, and is now keeping herself occupied and exploring other ventures. That’s just one of the reasons why we’re no longer seeing as much of Eva as we’d like to.
Although on the outside Hollywood is all about glitz and glamor, on the inside it’s about politics. It’s about certain people pulling the strings and casting directors and producers having their own ideal leading lady in mind. Although you might be a highly talented actress, people in the movie industry might decide to steer clear of you for various different reasons. It’s just the way things work in Hollywood, so much so that even a woman as talented and beautiful as Eva Mendes can get cast aside. These are 15 reasons why Hollywood forgot about Eva Mendes.
She Has Had Some Serious Battles To Fight
There are tons of celebs who have succumbed to the temptations of the fast life. Money and partying can create a dangerous combination, and one that’s ruined many a career. Countless celebs have entered rehab facilities over the years to try and get a grip on their problems. When the industry gets to know of their problems, casting directors no longer come calling. It’s an image problem, and it’s about letting them get their lives back on track and overcome their issues. Eva Mendes is one of these celebs who has entered rehab. We can therefore attribute Hollywood steering clear of her for a certain period of time to her stint in rehab. Many reports surfaced that she went to rehab because of substance abuse. But the details surrounding her time in the facility remain very sketchy. There were also reports that she sought help to try and overcome the tragedy that she was dealing with. Whatever the case may be, acting in movies probably wasn’t on her mind during that period, and she wasn’t on Hollywood’s mind either.
The Queen Of B-Movies Can’t Make The Grade
Eva Mendes is certainly an A-list star... or is she? Many people would actually consider her to be a B-lister. Those who rate her higher are probably taking into account her entire persona, her looks, modelling, who she’s married too, and her other ventures outside of tinsel town. Because of that, a lot of people deem it inconceivable that she’s anything other than an A-lister. But think about what she’s done in Hollywood for a sec and only Hollywood. When was her last super-duper successful film? It’s hard to remember. She might shine in movies and be memorable to a lot of people, but that’s not really because of her prowess as an actress – it’s because of her steamy presence on screen and because she gets typecast in such glamorous roles. It’s not exactly intelligent acting. But it also means Eva hasn’t really had the opportunity to showcase what she can do.
Let’s look at some of her flop movies over the years. There was Girl in Progress which only grossed $2.6 million after six weeks. Then there’s The Place Beyond the Pines, and the biggest flop of them all, Bad Lieutenant, which grossed a pitiful $1.7 million after starting out with a budget of $25 million. She probably doesn’t remember these flops and has cast them out of her mind, but Hollywood certainly does. We are not claiming that the reasons for those failures was Eva, but there are only so many serious flop movies you can star in before people start realizing who the common denominator is.
Money Talks, And She Was Never A High-Paid A-Lister
In an industry such as Hollywood, the rich and famous tend to hang out with the rich and famous. You might think that Eva fits that description. She does to us. But in Hollywood, she’s not a leading lady – not in terms of her fame or wealth. She was once right up there in terms of her level of fame. You see Eva ‘s face and you’re going to look twice. But in terms of her finances, it is a different story. She’s not financially destitute, but she’s in no way up there as one of the wealthiest actresses around. Again, that ties into her being the B-list queen. Star in B-movies and get that reputation and you can’t really demand a hefty pay check. Eva has been stuck in that rut. Although it seems harsh to say, she’s not worth as much as a lot of other actresses. Money talks in Hollywood, and her not being a high-paid A-lister could be a reason as to why she is being shunned by the industry.
She Is Too Busy With Other Ventures
If you want casting directors to pick up the phone and give you a call, even people of the pedigree of Eva Mendes have to make a bit of effort to make it happen. Although she’s rated by us as a talented actress, she still needs to get herself out there and make a concerted effort to get auditions and roles. But Eva has been preoccupied with other stuff lately. She’s a very busy woman, and it seems like she hasn’t made as much of an effort as she perhaps could have if she was fully serious about finding her feet again in Hollywood. If Eva doesn’t make the effort, Hollywood’s not going to either.
Why is Eva so busy? She’s busy giving back and has kept her schedule booked up with charitable endeavors. Getting involved in charitable causes has seriously affected her and changed her whole outlook on certain things. She’s doing good, but it’s cathartic too, Eva fancies herself as a humanitarian, and is especially involved with the charity The Art of Elysium. It’s fantastic what she’s doing, but you can’t help but think she’s sacrificing her career.
She Is Big On Maintaining Her Privacy
There are successful people in the celebrity world who are extremely private. Jay-Z and Beyoncé for example, love their privacy, as does Leonardo DiCaprio. But they are megastars. For them, it’s alright, as they can get away with sharing what they want to. In fact, it creates an air of mystery around them, and when they choose to drop some information, it creates plenty of buzz. But Eva isn’t on their level when it comes to stardom. So being an extremely private person doesn’t really work for her, but works against her.
She’s always been private, but made a conscious effort to be even more private when she had kids. She wanted to protect them and let them have a relatively normal childhood. Eva has also said that she just loves to stay at home. So, we don’t see her at award shows, the paparazzi don’t get to photograph her out and about, she very rarely makes media appearances, and she’s not very active on social media. Hollywood wants people who are open, so when they get roles, just their mere presence creates a buzz about the movie. Eva doesn’t have that effect. She isn’t open, shies away from the press and the spotlight, and you can’t help but feel that as a result of which, the studios no longer have her on their minds.
She Is An International Spokesperson
She’s private, but that doesn’t mean Eva doesn’t have plenty of things going on. She focuses a lot of her attention on being a humanitarian. When she’s not getting involved in charitable causes, all of which she chooses to dedicate her time too, she earns her corn as an international spokeswoman. There’s no doubt about the fact that Eva’s face was made for being in front of massive audiences. She mesmerizes people with her beauty, and what comes out of her mouth isn’t bad either. So, when she speaks, people pay attention. Lots of massive companies have realized this and have gotten her on board. She’s a celebrity spokeswoman for the likes Estee Lauder, Thierry Mugler and Reebok, to name a few. When you’re associated with so many brands, eventually people begin to associate you as the face of those brands and can only see you in that light. It’s therefore tricky when you see that same person on the big screen playing a role in a movie. It’s hard to get your head around it. But that’s not the main reason Hollywood won’t cast her. It’s just that she has too many other commitments. Finding time to shoot a movie would be taxing, to say the least.
Her Kids Come First
When Eva became a mom, her life changed in so many ways. Her life suddenly revolved around her kids, and she’s sacrificed a lot to care, nurture them and bring them up – although she probably doesn’t see that as a sacrifice. But the once private Eva Mendes became even more private and wanted to shield her kids from the limelight. She also put most of her time into being a mom. She’s admitted that she’s a very hands-on-mom, and her main focus in life is on raising her kids. You’d think that she gets some help, and has a nanny or someone to help ease the load. But she loves doing everything herself and gets no help at all. As a result, this has basically taken up all of her time. It’s a maternal sacrifice she chose to make, but because of it, she’s fallen off Hollywood’s radar. Even if she was offered a role, at the moment, she’d most likely turn it down. So, Hollywood just doesn’t bother.
She’s Not Young Enough For Hollywood's Harsh Standards
Although she may not look it, Eva Mendes is no longer all that young by Hollywood's harsh standards. She’s been around in the industry doing her thing for two decades now. Thinking about that, it seems pretty amazing that she hasn’t had more prominent roles. After two decades of trying to become a top actress, she remains a B-grade actress to this day. There are of course roles for actresses in their 40s, especially those that don’t look 40. But the days of Eva playing a young, glamorous femme fatale are gone. She can no longer pull of such roles. Those are the types of roles she’s played for the majority of her career. Those are the roles casting directors know she can play. At 43, you can envisage her playing the more sophisticated woman, a character with a bit more depth. Those are the roles she’s after. But she needs to be given the opportunity. At the moment, she’s seriously busy with other commitments and she’s in the process of being phased out of Hollywood. Many of those who have come through the ranks in recent years have taken her place and are now ruling the roost in Hollywood. She’s struggling to stay afloat in the industry.
In A Transitional Period Of Her Career
For any woman, being in your mid-40s is a transitional time of sorts, especially if you’ve just had a couple of kids. Things are changing body-wise, mentally, and professionally, and you’re going to have to get used to it. Many women find it tough to embrace these changes. But Eva loves them, is throwing herself wholeheartedly into being a mom, and her various other commitments. So, although Hollywood is no longer casting her, she doesn’t really care and is letting her acting career take a backseat.
She can no longer pull off the younger bombshell roles. She’s still beautiful, no doubt about it, but she’s no longer preoccupied with flaunting it. When she was younger, Eva did tons of modelling. As crude as it may sound, that’s why Hollywood loved her, or one of the main reasons, anyway. But she doesn’t want to go back there, and is looking for changes moving forward.
She No Longer Attends Red Carpet Events
It’s one thing to be a private person and shy away from the paparazzi. But it’s another entirely to shun events that you’re scheduled to be a part of. Eva rarely ventures out for the big occasions. If she did, all eyes would be on her, and she’d get a tremendous amount of attention. She can’t be shy, because over the years she’s put herself out there,. Perhaps it’s just that she’s so intensely private that even red carpet events aren't enough to entice her to get her glad rags on and make an appearance. The world was shocked when in 2017, Eva decided not to attend Ryan Gosling’s award show appearances. It shows a lack of support, and to Hollywood and the sponsors of such events, a lack of interest.
She Wants Deeper Roles
To a lot of us who have grown up watching Eva on screen, she’ll always be associated with the glamorous roles. A lot of women are in Hollywood solely to be a bit of eye candy on screen. Many women, including Eva, have started to demand that Hollywood begins to cast them in different roles. Eva desperately craves the deeper, more meaningful roles. In all fairness, she has been given the opportunity to play her desired roles a couple of times, but they’ve both been flop movies. Perhaps now she has young impressionable daughters, she doesn’t want them to see her in such a light, so she’s staying clear of such roles. That’s what other actresses have done after becoming mothers. They think about how the movie will look to their kids. Eva seriously wants to break free from typecasting, but casting directors aren’t yet willing to offer her those roles. So, her career’s in limbo at the moment.
Now She Is A Businesswoman
We’ve established that just because Eva isn’t starring in movies at the moment, she’s not just sitting at home twiddling her thumbs and waiting for her next big break. She’s keeping busy and has a packed schedule pretty much all day, every day. Family life comes first. She prioritizes raising her daughters. Then there are her charitable endeavors. But she also has her own companies, which she’s dedicated to. So, although the movies aren’t coming, at this transitional point of her career, she’s trying to reposition herself as a business mogul. Eva has her own beauty brand which she owns called CIRCA. Since 2013, she’s also had her own clothing line. That’s all well and good, as many other celebs have their own businesses. But as you’ll discover, her business duties seem to consume too much of her life.
She’s Not Relatable
It’s all well and good leading a busy life, dedicating yourself to your businesses and family. But you’ve still got to put yourself out there to ensure you don’t fade away from people’s memories. There are tons of people around the world who love Eva and flock to the cinemas when she’s on screen. She may give back in terms of being a humanitarian, but she needs to give something back to these people too. In today’s day and age since the dawn of social media, she has plenty of platforms on which to do so. There really is no excuse not to give her millions of adoring fans a little something. But she barely gives them anything. Sure, she’s private. But even private people use social media to connect with fans now and again.
The vast majority of Eva’s posts are about business or are about promoting something. She very rarely posts candid photos or gives updates as to what’s going on in her life. In today’s day and age, that’s something that celebs need to do. In a way, it makes them seem relatable, and fans love that. If fans love an actress, casting directors are likely to give them some love too and offer them roles. Popular actresses tend to bring a bigger fan base to the movies they star in.
She Thinks Her Cuban-American Heritage Got In The Way Of Her Success
Eva has said that she gets typecast into certain roles and that she wants to steer clear of such roles from now on. But for Eva, it is tough to get the roles she’s after. It’s not just because she fits the stereotypical image most casting directors have in their minds. But it’s also because of her look and her heritage. Despite being a very private woman, Eva is also pretty open when it comes to expressing her views. In an interview with David Coleman, she said, "What makes it frustrating is when a director or a studio head doesn't see me for the same part that they'll see, let's say, Drew Barrymore for. No, we want more of an American type of girl. And it's like, America has opened up. I'm an American girl, born and raised." She’s touched upon racism in the industry and how being Cuban-American has, in a way, held her back. She’s said Latinas have it tough in Hollywood and typically only get very specific roles.
She Has Dealt With Tragic Losses
Here’s another reason why Eva Mendes hasn’t featured on our screens a whole lot as of late. But at the same time, rejuvenating her movie career probably hasn’t been on her mind in recent years. That’s because she’s been keeping busy with her various other ventures, but also because she’s been dealing with heartache. She has had to contend with a personal tragedy that left her devastated. 2016 must have been a whirlwind year for Eva. She gave birth to her second daughter, but a matter of days later, her brother passed after a battle with cancer. She said, "We had a funeral service for him and that same week I had the baby. It was really, really intense and obviously beyond heartbreaking, but also kind of beautiful." Understandably the loss of her brother affected her a great deal, and thinking about getting a foot back into the movie industry probably was not important to her at the time.
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