Eva Mendes calls Ryan Gosling her ‘Cuban papi’ while praising his ‘SNL’ skit

Eva Mendes is one proud “Cuban mami.”

Ryan Gosling’s epic return to “Saturday Night Live” on April 13 included singing a Taylor Swift song with Emily Blunt and a sequel to his Papyrus skit. It also featured the actor portraying an American man with a Cuban accent in the “Can’t Tonight” sketch with cast members Marcello Hernández and Kenan Thompson.

The clip begins with the three men at a bar ordering drinks when the waitress asks about their accents. Thompson’s character says he's Dominican, Hernández's character is Cuban and Gosling's character “is from Tennessee, but ever since he married a Cuban woman, he different.”

“A Cuban wife can change you,” Gosling quips in the skit, calling himself a “Cuban papi.”

As Gosling and Hernández attempt to convince Thompson to go to a party, they name-drop Mendes’ name as one of the attendees, as well as Margot Robbie and the original dog from “Beethoven.”

Mendes was such a big fan of the skit that she posted the clip on her Instagram on April 16 and praised her “Cuban papi.”

“Coño! My Cuban Papi made this Cuban Mami so happy with this!! Years of hanging out with my Dad paid off,” she wrote. “Gracias to the super talented @marcellohdz for this skit. The way you say ‘Eva Mendes; 😂! And @kenanthompson always crushing."

She added, “Can’t wait for this trio’s next reunion.”

Hernández replied to Mendes’ post, writing, “Un abrazo a el gósling y a ti Eva!!”

Mendes has been cheering on Gosling throughout their decadeslong relationship, as has the “Barbie” star. Read on for more details about Mendes and Gosling's relationship.

Are Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes married? Here's what they've said

Long story short, they have never confirmed their relationship status — but they have left hints.

During a 2022 interview with Australian podcast "The Kyle and Jackie O Show," Mendes evaded confirming the pair's marital status. "Who says we weren’t already?" she said. "I like to keep it all mysterious. I’m a very mysterious woman."

A week later, during a June 22 appearance on Australia’s "Today" show on Channel 9, Mendes calls Gosling her “husband.”

“Everyone is so welcoming here, and my husband, Ryan, is here, and we are having the best time,” she said at the time.

Later that year, in November, Mendes posted a photo of a tattoo that also sent rumors flying. The delicate tattoo reads “de Gosling." Directly translated from Spanish, the phrase means “of Gosling.” Regardless of whether or not the tattoo signals a secret marriage, it clearly reflects Mendes and Gosling’s long-term commitment to each other.

During the "Barbie" press tour, Gosling and Mendes continued to court marriage rumors.

On July 21, 2023, Mendes posted a clip of one of Gosling’s interviews on her Instagram. The version of the video refers to her as Gosling’s wife in the closed captioning.

They met on a movie set in 2011 — or did they?

Gosling and Mendes co-starred in “The Place Beyond the Pines" (2012), playing star-crossed couple Luke and Romina.

While they began dating in 2011, Mendes revealed in an Instagram on April 6, 2023, that the pair had actually met before "The Place Beyond The Pines."

She posted a video of her and Gosling in their roles to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the movie. "We did not meet on set," she wrote in the caption. "The magic started way before but here’s a little magic captured on camera."

When asked about his on-screen connection with Mendes in an interview with Elle in 2013, Gosling said he would "like to say" it came down to their real-life "chemistry," but ultimately attributed it to director Derek Cianfrance.

Mendes and Gosling were photographed together off set in 2011, culminating with a New Year's Eve kiss in 2012.

Eva Mendes looked back at their 2012 red carpet debut: ‘Trying to be very professional’

In September 2012, Mendes and Gosling appeared together at the TIFF Awards to promote "The Place Beyond The Pines." At the time, the couple had not yet confirmed whether they were dating, though rumors abounded.

Mendes later revealed to Kelly Clarkson in a 2019 interview on "The Kelly Clarkson Show" that she struggled to remain professional during the red carpet appearance.

“That’s literally me going, ‘I’m not in love with him. I’m not in love with him. What?’ We were just trying to be very professional," Mendes said.

After starring in 2 movies with him, Eva Mendes calls Ryan Gosling 'the greatest actor she's worked with'

Mendes and Gosling starred together again in the 2014 film "The Lost River," which was written and directed by Gosling and was partially based on his life.

Gosling praised Mendes' role in executing the film.

“They know what is at stake for you personally, and all the work that’s gone into getting there," he told the Daily Telegraph.

"She hates credit and she’ll even be mad that I’m giving her that credit,” Gosling added. “But she was very helpful in so many ways.”

In 2023, Mendes raved about her partner's acting skills. “To say he’s the greatest actor I’ve ever worked with is an understatement,” she wrote in the caption of a post alongside a praise about Gosling from Gerwig.

What they've said about their daughters, born in 2012 and 2014

The couple's firstborn daughter, Esmeralda Amada Gosling, arrived in September 2014.

They welcomed their second child, daughter Amada Lee Gosling, in April 2016. Amada was named after Mendes' grandmother.

Both Gosling and Mendes have opened up about their journey to parenthood.

Mendes spoke in 2020 about balancing her career and her family on Australian radio show "Fitzy and Wippa."

“I was lucky enough to work my bum off for 20 years,” she said in the interview. “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. I think I was 42 for the second one, so it worked out in that way that I had a career and then I change my focus to my family.”

She told TODAY in 2022 parenting is an act of creativity: “I’m an actress, I’ve designed clothes, I’ve done a number of different things. But this is the most creative thing, is to create life with them."

For Gosling, kids weren't on his to-do list, until he met Mendes.

"After I met Eva, I realized that I just didn’t want to have kids without her," Gosling told GQ in 2023. "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."

Eva Mendes said she and Ryan Gosling are ‘bulldozing parents’

Mendes opened up to Kelly Clarkson about the challenges of parenting in a 2019 appearance on “The Kelly Clarkson Show.”

“Nobody told me it was gonna really be a job, and a job that I needed an incredible amount of skill for, in different areas: a chauffeur, a cook, a personal assistant to an abusive boss,” she joked.

“We’re very controlling,” she continued. “I think what the term is—we’re always laughing at these terms — I think we would be ‘bulldozing parents.’ Well, what else are we supposed to do? We have to be on top of them every second.”

Want more of a glimpse into their home life? In February 2020, Mendes praised Gosling’s skills in the kitchen.

“Ryan is an amazing chef AND baker,” she said in an Instagram comment. “For reals. Incredible. No joke. I’m not sure that what I do is cooking. Its more like steaming veggies and juicing and making rice. He really cooks. I survive.”

Ryan Gosling expressed gratitude to Eva Mendes in 2017 awards show speech

Gosling, who won the Golden Globe award for best actor in a comedy or musical in 2017, praised his wife's sacrifices in the speech and dedicated the award to Mendes’ late brother, Juan Carlos Mendes.

“There’s just no time to thank everyone. I would just like to try and thank one person properly," he said. "While I was singing and dancing and playing piano and having one of the best experiences I’ve ever had on a film, my lady was raising our daughter, pregnant with our second and trying to help her brother fight his battle with cancer. If she hadn’t taken all that on so I that could have this experience, there would surely be someone else up here other than me today.”

He then addressed Mendes directly.

“So sweetheart, thank you, to my daughters, Amada and Esmeralda, I love you. And if I may, I’d like to dedicate this to the memory of her brother, Juan Carlos Mendes.”

Juan Carlos Mendes passed away of throat cancer in 2016, just two weeks before Gosling and Mendes welcomed second daughter Amada.

Ryan Gosling calls Eva Mendes 'the girl of my dreams'

While accepting the Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Jan. 13, Gosling reflected on how his movie career has also led to major achievements in his personal life.

“Most importantly, I got to meet the girl of my dreams, Eva Mendes, and have two dream children," he said in his speech.

“I dreamed of one day making movies, and now, movies have made my life a dream,” he added.

Eva Mendes supports Ryan Gosling's 'I'm Just Ken' performance at the 2024 Oscars

On March 10, Gosling took the stage at the 2024 Oscars and performed his hit song “I’m Just Ken," from Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie" movie.

There, the actor dazzled the crowd in a sparkly pink suit with matching gloves and sunglasses.

Shortly after the performance, Mendes twinned with her partner’s “Barbie” look in a post she shared on Instagram.

“You took Ken all the way to the Oscar’s, RG,” she wrote. “Now come home, we need to put the kids to bed.”

Eva Mendes says she's 'never experienced anything' like acting alongside Ryan Gosling

During a March 26, 2024 segment that aired on TODAY, Mendes said she “pretty much stopped acting” after she appeared in 2012’s “The Place Beyond the Pines.”

Mendes told Shop TODAY editorial director Adrianna Brach she was very impressed with her beau’s commitment to acting.

“I’ve never experienced anything like that,” she said. “The way he works, his commitment to his craft, how he wants to make everything as best as it can be, and that means making his co-stars as best as they could be.”

“But unfortunately, or fortunately, there’s only one Ryan,” she laughed. “So, you know, I pretty much stopped acting after that.”

This article was originally published on TODAY.com