Ryan Gosling Wanted Kids After Meeting Eva Mendes

Ryan Gosling is reflecting on his fatherhood journey. The “Barbie” star opened up to GQ about co-parenting with longtime girlfriend Eva Mendes and the moment he realized he was ready to start a family. “I wasn’t thinking about kids before I met her, but after I met Eva, I realized that I just didn’t want to have kids without her,” he told the mag, recalling his and Eva’s 2011 film that sparked their real-life love connection. “And there were moments on ‘The Place Beyond the Pines’ where we were pretending to be a family, and I didn’t really want it to be pretend anymore. I realized that this would be a life I would be really lucky to have.” Ryan and Eva share two daughters: Esmeralda, 8, and Amada, 7. The Oscar nominee took a step away from acting after his youngest was born and explained that he “wanted to spend as much time” with Eva and the girls as he could. Now, the 42-year-old prefers to limit himself to one film a year.