EXCLUSIVE: Eva Mendes reveals to Yahoo Lifestyle that living in Australia has an 'ugly' side that she and her family weren't prepared for.

Video transcript

EVA MENDES: Last time we talked, like you said, it was-- you know, it was 2020. Things were happening. A little different. 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. Like there are so many things I didn't even realize they had like a gym, which is like right, a gym, you know? Everyone-- 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-- they have this wonderful volunteer I met yesterday who volunteers to do haircuts and wash and blow and hair, and it was just incredible. So that's up in the corner. And then all these wonderful like little learning activities and centered rooms, and it just feels-- you can feel the love here and you can definitely-- you know, the choices in color and everything you just kind of like-- I don't know. It works.

- Beautiful.

EVA MENDES: Yeah.

- And you've got a personal connection. Last time we--

EVA MENDES: I do, yeah.

- --spoke about your cousin. How does she feel to have you back as an ambassador as well?

EVA MENDES: Oh, she's just like-- you know, she's amazing. She-- you know, my cousin when she had her baby, he was diagnosed at one-year-old with neuroblastoma. He is eight now and he's fine. He's great. He's a boy. He's a great, you know, typical boy. And we love that. And-- but yeah, there was years there where she had to travel the states to-- for treatment for him. And this was her home. Ronald McDonald House Charities was her home, kept her family together, and also the care and attention put towards the siblings as well.

s it's difficult because-- it's difficult on everybody, of course, but the sick child gets the attention understandably. But the siblings often suffer in silence or, you know, feel a little-- have their own set of feelings that are, you know, quite complicated. So I love the attention to siblings that they offer here. And yeah, so my personal connection to it just makes it that much more meaningful obviously.

- And do your daughters understand what you're doing here today?

EVA MENDES: They do. My six-year-old still doesn't quite understand because she was like if you're going to go with kids, why aren't you going to be with us? I was like, OK, good point. But-- so she kind of like still doesn't understand. But my eight-year-old understands. 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. I was so happy to see Connor and his sister Lola. Was really excited. And so they wrote them letters and the whole thing. So my older one understands, my little one doesn't understand why I'm not home. Like it's OK. I'll be home later, yeah.

- And how has it been for you, Ryan, and the girls living here? Have the girls got any Aussie-isms? Do they have a favorite part about the country?

EVA MENDES: You know, they don't. It was funny, at first they really thought they were going to see kangaroos everywhere and like koalas everywhere. It's just like they're not on the streets. Really cute, but you hate to crush their dreams. I was like going to ask Ryan to dress up as a kangaroo and just hop around a little bit. And we do too, but no. So yeah, they realized that we'd have to go somewhere to see them.

But no, they love it. It's-- 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. The spiders, now, huntsman. Two words for you or one word or one-- just one ugly word, huntsman. That's been harsh.

- Have you seen a few of those?

EVA MENDES: Yeah.

- Oh.

EVA MENDES: In our bedroom. Huntsman.

- No!

EVA MENDES: Yeah.

- I'm so sorry.

EVA MENDES: Smoking a cigarette, lying back in bed just like--

- Oh my god. I'm so sorry on behalf of Aussies for that.

EVA MENDES: I know, every Aussie-- it's so funny, everyone's apologizing to me. And then the thing that they say-- you guys are so sweet. It's like, but they're harmless. And I'm like, no, psychological, emotional damage has been done.

- To be honest, even I feel the same, so--

EVA MENDES: It's bad.

- Yeah.

EVA MENDES: But-- but besides that, everything's great.

- And I don't know the rating, but with the "Barbie" film, were the girls excited to see Ryan as Ken?

EVA MENDES: Super excited. Super excited. They don't love that they won't be able to really see it. It's not really a kids movie 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.

- A very different look.

EVA MENDES: Yeah, really different. Just different energy, which was Kenergy, which we found out. That's why it was different energy because it was Kenergy. And I just can't wait for you guys-- for people to see it. It's a really, really amazing film and he's just incredible. Big surprise. Yeah.

- Yeah, true.