Technically Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling never confirmed that they were expecting and they never confirmed that a daughter arrived on September 12. I mean we knew because TMZ published the birth certificate – click here for a refresher – but there were no photos of her pregnant, there’s been no photo shoot of her holding her baby, and there was no social media announcement of her name.
Finally though, Eva is acknowledging it. Not with PEOPLE, not with US Weekly, not on E! News but in Violet Grey with founder Cassandra Huysentruyt Grey, a long-time friend. She’s promoting her clothing and a new line of jewellery. But the inevitable questions about motherhood come up. And from a friend too which makes it harder to not engage. Still, you can sense the reluctance.
“You’re killing me, Cassandra.”
That’s Eva’s response when Cassandra pushes to find out when Eva found out she was pregnant and whether or not it was a surprise. At this point she’s already talked about relying on her mother and Ryan Gosling’s mother for help with the baby and not having a nanny. So she manages to avoid answering the question about the timing of her pregnancy but does go on to explain why they made such a point of not sharing it publicly:
“Whether we like it or not, privacy is going to be very difficult for Esmeralda. I think it’s unfair but that’s our reality. So Ryan and I decided early on to give her as much privacy as we could. And my pregnancy was the first opportunity to give her that. It’s such an intimate time for the mother, too. I know that it seems all very innocuous when you’re flipping through a tabloid at the doctor’s office or see a photo of a pregnant lady online, but I find the media’s “bump watch” obsession to be both intrusive and stressful. So I made a decision to eject myself from it completely. I was like, “Annnnd I’m out.”
Look. It’s not just the media’s obsession. Civilians are obsessed with bump watch too. You out there are obsessed with it. Are you pissed that she kept hers from you? Did you kinda want to see what she looked like carrying her baby? I want to know what her secret service tactics were. And I wish Cassandra had asked that: Did you just not leave the house the entire time?
As for the name Esmeralda, here’s a detail she gives up rather easily: they knew they were having a girl and decided on Esmeralda because of The Hunchback Of Notre Dame.
Click here to read the full interview with Violet Grey.
