Ryan Gosling Declares ‘I’m A Dad First’ In Rare Interview About His Daughters With Eva Mendes

Snorlax/MEGA

Though most of the world recognizes Ryan Gosling as a talented actor, his two girls with Eva Mendes… don’t, and that’s why he thinks the upcoming ‘Barbie’ movie will help them ‘understand’ what he does for a living.

“I’m like a dad first,” Ryan Gosling tells heat magazine (per Daily Mail) when discussing his new film, The Gray Man, and his upcoming role in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie film. Ryan, 41, is a proud father of two daughters – Esmeralda, 7, and Amada, 6 – that he shares with his longtime partner, Eva Mendes, and said that his role as Ken in the upcoming Barbie is a way to introduce his girls to his work as an actor. “Barbie was a way to do that. Not necessarily like I’m making it for them, but it’s the first time I think they kind of are understanding [it].”

“Although, they can’t for the life of them understand why I want to play Ken because nobody plays with Ken! But that’s why we must tell his story,” Ryan adds. He also told heat that his acting career allowed him to spend some quality time with the family. “Part of the reason for doing [The Gray Man] was this opportunity for us to go to these interesting places and be there with my kids,” he said. “You know it’s funny, we went to France, and we went everywhere – we went to the Louvre and all these things. And if I asked them now, “What was your favorite part about France? They will say, ‘The fruit plate at the hotel.'”

Like many Hollywood couples, Ryan and Eva kept their children out of the spotlight. But, despite their parents being acting superstars, Esmeralda and Amada struggled with the COVID-19 pandemic like any young child. “Our kids are young, so it was a tough time for them to be separated from other kids and not being able to see family and whatnot,” Ryan said in a 2021 interview. “So, we did our best to entertain them. I think Eva and I did more acting in quarantine than we have in our whole careers.”

Related Gallery

Eva Mendes & Ryan Gosling: Photos Of The Couple

Thankfully, the upcoming Barbie movie – starring Margot Robbie in the title role – will help Ryan and Eva entertain their daughters the next time they need to occupy their attention. The first photos taken on set show that the costume designer and wardrobe wrangler understood the assignment. Plus, it sounds like filming has been a blast for everyone onboard. “It’s one of the most fun films [Margot’s] ever worked on,” an insider told HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY, “and she couldn’t imagine a better costar than Ryan. He keeps her laughing all day, and they have amazing chemistry.”