The Stunning Transformation Of Eva Mendes

Eva Mendes’ parents, Eva Perez Suarez and Carlos Mendez, hail from Cuba, Mendes confirmed to Women’s Health. Before Mendes was born, the couple immigrated to the United States, initially settling in Miami, Florida, and later moving to Los Angeles.

The actor revealed her admiration for her mom because of her journey as a Cuban émigré. “She was the mom in Cuba who had to walk however many miles to fetch water from the well,” Mendes shared with the publication. “That was her reality for a while, so the level of respect and appreciation I have for her now is incredible.” Mendes is the youngest of her parents’ four children — her sisters, Janet and Becky, and her brother, Juan Carlos, came before her. She also has a younger half-brother on her father’s side, Carlo.

When Mendes was a little girl, her mother worked at a movie theater while her father was a meat distributor. Some of her early memories are of accompanying each of her parents to their respective jobs. In an interview with W Magazine, Mendes fondly recalled seeing the newest releases with her mom after her shifts ended and revealed that her diet was heavily influenced by an experience she had while at her father’s job. Mendes explained, “He’d put me in a room to draw. I couldn’t see what was going on, but then my dad would come out, full of blood. So now I don’t eat anything from a slaughterhouse.”