Eva Mendes on Date Night with Ryan Gosling: 'It Takes a Lot of Prep'

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When you have young kids at home — or, let’s be real, kids of any age — trying to squeeze in the occasional adults-only night out can seem like an episode of Mission: Impossible. Just ask one of Hollywood’s most beloved celebrity couples. In a new interview, Eva Mendes admitted that date night with Ryan Gosling requires a tricky balance of “prep,” planning and family support. And, yes, she realizes they’re lucky to have help pulling it off, since they otherwise might not make it out the door.

Mendes and Gosling’s daughters Esmeralda, 5, and Amada, 3, fall within that particularly tricky age range during which kids become level-10 clingers. Still, the A-list mom and dad know that carving out time for themselves is important, even if it takes some special maneuvering. “It takes a lot of prep,” Mendes told Mario Lopez and Kit Hoover on Access Daily. “You got to prep it and make sure you have it all lined up. Luckily we have a lot of family support. My family live here. His family comes in, they live in Canada but they come in all the time and stay for a very long time, and it’s very welcomed.”

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But, not surprisingly, date nights are the exception to the norm. Everyday life with the little girls? “Oh, gosh, it’s so fun and beautiful and maddening. It’s maddening,” Mendes said.

Ah, yes, sounds familiar. For all the chaos, though, Mendes and Gosling feel like they’re doing an OK job as parents. “It’s so hard, of course,” Mendes said. “But it’s that feeling of, you know, you end your day, you put them to bed, and you know, Ryan and I kind of look at each other like, ‘We did it. We did it. We came out relatively unscathed.’ ”

For Mendes, that crazy beautiful life has been her focus for the last few years, as she took a hiatus from work to be with her family — something she emphasizes she is “so thankful” to have the opportunity to do. And though she didn’t reveal whether she’s returning to acting any time soon, she did hint that the romance is still alive and well between her and Gosling. When asked about another possible collaboration with her partner in the future, she gushed, “You know, he’s just such a creative genius, there’s always stuff going on there, but I would love to at any time. I would audition for him any day.”

Hmm, sounds like those date nights are doing their thing.

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