Hispanic hottie Eva Mendes chats home-wrecking and on-set bitchiness in her latest chick flick ‘The Women’.
Hispanic hottie Eva Mendes is a woman who looks like she was born for the big screen. With her big brown eyes, captivating smile and smouldering sex appeal Eva is well known for her sultry roles – and for stripping off.
Not only has she just landed an underwear campaign for Calvin Klein but in her new movie ‘The Women’ she plays perfume girl Crystal Allen – the irresistible other woman.
Here she talks about playing a home-wrecker, her flourishing relationship with boyfriend George Gargurevich and what it’s like to be classed as the sexiest woman in Hollywood. . .
Q: Tell us about your new movie ‘The Women’?
A: “It was such a fun comedy to make. It’s really cool, it’s a remake of a George Cukor film, all women in the cast. I did the Joan Crawford role, so I’m going to get a lot of crap for that. In no way did I try to be her, or mimic what she did. It’s a modern take on The Women. It’s awesome, it’s me, it’s Meg Ryan, Annette Bening, Jada Pinkett Smith, Debra Messing, Candace Bergen, Bette Midler. It was really fun. I had a great time doing that. There’s a lot of fashion in the movie.”
Q: What was it like working with an all women cast?
A: “It was really cool. I’ve got to tell you the funny part. I did We Own the Night, and I was pretty much the only girl in the movie. I went every day and there were just guys-I’m not complaining, I got Phoenix and Wahlberg there, and Duvall. I went to rehearsals and I didn’t really care, I didn’t look like a slob, but I would just go in my sweats and whatever, my little cap. But cut to rehearsals for The Women. There’s all chicks, right? Everybody’s looking fine. We have our cutest little sundresses on, we have our little jewellery. The whole first 15 minutes of our rehearsal session, I was like ‘Jada! Where’d you get that scarf?’ and ‘Annette, where’d you get that necklace?’ It was hysterical.”
Q: Was there any bitchiness on set?
A: “No not at all. We were all there for each other. Like one night, we worked a whole night shift, and we were tired, tired, tired. It was about five in the morning, and we had a couple of hours left to go. And it was everybody’s close-up. But the moment that camera went on somebody, like when it went on me, Jada, Debra and Annette were right there for me. They were my girls. They were even over-acting so I could bring it up. Then the camera would go off and they’d be like ‘Ooh, you look so beautiful, this is a beautiful shot.’ It was so gorgeous. I was like, ‘I know what you guys are doing, and I love you for it.’ They were my sisters! They’ve got my back! Screw everybody that thinks we all get into a catfight when we’re all in the same movie together, just screw ’em. That is not true. I felt that sisterly love, it was so beautiful. And the cameras went on them, and the same thing. We were all right there for each other.”
Q: You are often described as a fun and fearless woman – is that true?
A: “Well, not entirely. Spiders scare me a lot. Ever since I was a little girl. If ever I saw one I would have a physical reaction and just freak out. I was a real arachnophobe. I was like that up until about a year ago. If I saw a spider I would have to have somebody kill it and even then I could not take their word for it. I would have to see the dead carcass before I could relax. It was really getting in the way. If I was in my room at night reading and I saw one in the room and I had no way of getting someone to kill it for me I could not fall asleep in the room. It was a real problem. So I went to a hypnotist.”
Q: What did a hypnotist do to you?
A: “I laid down and relaxed and she took me through this whole relaxation thing. There was no swaying clock or anything like that – so I was disappointed by that. But I thought I was only in the room with her for about three minutes – but a whole hour went by. I do not remember anything else. I do not know what she did but it really helped because now I will see one and I will be cool with it. Now I want to do it for everything. I was thinking can she help me with road rage or snacking or foul language? It is amazing.”
Q: You are frequently voted one of the sexiest women in Hollywood – how does that feel?
A: “It is flattering but when people ask me ‘How do you feel being Maxim’s number whatever, whatever number of the hottest girls in the whatever.’ I take it like I take everything, every other compliment or every other dis in this industry. I take it with a grain of salt, and I say ‘Thank you, that’s so nice. I’m grateful,’ yet literally it goes away. If I base my self-esteem on being on that list, or being the hot young Hollywood, or the It Girl, if I base anything on that, then the moment I’m not that, I’m screwed.”
Q: A lot of celebrities complain about the gossip columns. Do you secretly read them?
A: “Yes! Well I don’t get a kick out reading it, honestly, I get a kick out of the photos. That’s my thing. I really don’t read them. And my other rule is that I don’t buy them. If I see them at the airport, I’ll just flick through them, that’s all.”
Q: Is it true that when you were a child you wanted to be a nun?
A: “That’s so funny. Yes I did for a while there. I guess there is this little Catholic girl still inside me somewhere. But I did want to be a nun when I was very little. Well, that was until my sister told me that they don’t get paid. Then I went off the idea really quickly.”
‘The Women’ is in Irish cinems from Friday, September 12th.