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Eva Mendes reveals the 'ugly' side to living in Australia: 'Harsh'
Eva Mendes has been living in Sydney for the last couple of months while her partner Ryan Gosling shoots The Fall Guy around the city, and while the actress and her family have been having a great time living Down Under, she has revealed that there is one side of it that she doesn't love all that much.
The actress, 43, spoke with Yahoo Lifestyle at Ronald McDonald House Westmead, where the McHappy Day ambassador was spending time with some of the families with young children who are seriously ill ahead of McHappy Day, the charity's biggest fundraiser, on Saturday, November 19.
Eva, who was previously an ambassador for the charity in 2020, shared how lovely it's been to be in Sydney and meet families in person.
"Living in Sydney is really fun and then, obviously, being here today – last time we talked... it was 2020, things were a little different!" she told us. "So, to be here today, not only meeting the families, of course, and having that, you know, person-to-person, heart-to-heart connection, but also seeing this amazing facility."
She continued, "There were so many things I didn't even realise they had like a gym... I mean, I can't imagine what these families have to go through and to have like, some kind of self care, some kind of outlet. They also have this wonderful volunteer I met yesterday, who volunteers to do haircuts, and wash and [blowdry] hair, it's just incredible."
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Eva has a personal connection with Ronald McDonald House, with her cousin staying in one in the US when her son, who was one at the time, was diagnosed with neuroblastoma.
Thankfully, he is now eight years old and in remission, but Eva shares that Ronald McDonald House Charities kept her family together during one of the most challenging moments in their lives.
She adds that her daughter Esmeralda, eight, has even written letters to some of the children undergoing treatment and staying at Ronald McDonald House.
"My six-year-old [Amada] still doesn't quite understand because she was like, 'If you're gonna go with kids, why aren't you going to be with us?' I was like, 'Okay, good point.' So she kind of like still doesn't understand, but my eight-year-old understands.
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"And she wrote beautiful letters to two of the children today that I was excited to see, who I met on Zoom in 2020. And I was going to see them today, and I was so happy to see Connor and his sister Lola was really excited. And so they wrote letters and the whole thing, so my older one understands, my little one doesn't understand why I'm not home."
Speaking of her daughters, Eva spoke of their experience living in Australia, saying, "At first they really thought they're gonna see kangaroos everywhere and like koalas everywhere, and I was like, 'They're not on the streets.' Really cute, but you hate to crush their dreams, I was gonna ask Ryan to dress up as a kangaroo and just hop around a little bit. And we'd do it too!"
The star continued, "So yeah, they realised that we'd have to go somewhere to see [the animals]. But no, they love it. The beaches are really special here, because back home, we live in Los Angeles just outside of Los Angeles. But the beaches aren't as – where we live – they're not as inviting, let's say. The beaches here are so inviting. And then we got a chance to go up to the Northern Beaches and the kids were just like over the moon about it. So it's been super fun!"
However, there was an 'ugly' side to living here that Eva shared with us, saying, "The spiders now... Huntsman... Just one ugly word, huntsman. That's been harsh."
When asked if she'd seen a few huntsman spiders around, she revealed there'd been a couple in her bedroom. The star even joked that one made itself so comfortable it was "smoking a cigarette, lying back in bed".
After we apologised on behalf of all Australians, she jokingly added, "No, every Aussie, it's so funny, everyone's apologising to me, and then the thing that they say, you guys are so sweet, they're like, 'But they're harmless!' And I'm like, 'No, psychological, emotional damage has been done!'
Eva on Ryan's Barbie transformation
When asked how her daughters felt about seeing their dad in the new Barbie movie, Eva revealed that they were "super excited", but there was one downside.
"They don't love that they won't be able to really see it, it's not really a kids movie, like an older kids movie, maybe? But yeah, they were so excited. They were so excited. And yeah, it was super fun and having him like look that way for so long was really fun, we all got into it."
She continued, saying his look was "really different," teasing, "Just a different energy, which was Kenergy, which we found out that's why it was a different energy, because it was Kenergy, and I just can't wait for you guys to see it.
"It's a really, really amazing film and, and he's just incredible."
You can support Ronald McDonald House Charities this McHappy Day by donating online, buying $2, $10, or $50 Helping Hands, $5 Silly Socks, or by buying a Big Mac or 600mL bottle of water.
Make sure to visit your local Macca's to show your support on Saturday! You can also donate via the mymacca’s® app.
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