Off the beaten path. Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes are happy in their decision to raise their two daughters outside of Hollywood.
“The feeling is that they’ll relate to each other better by being outside of Hollywood, either in Canada or further afield from Los Angeles somewhere like Santa Barbara or further up the coast,” a source exclusively reveals in the new issue Us Weekly. “It’s ironic that they fell in love shooting Place Beyond the Pines in upstate New York, which is just the type of area they’d love to kick back and enjoy raising their kids.”
The insider notes that the couple are “nature lovers” and want their kids to “enjoy growing up in an outdoor environment” as well, adding, “[They’re] away from the superficiality and pressure of big city life.”
The pair’s “romance has been at its strongest” when Gosling, 41, “dedicate[s] a lot of time to being a stay-at-home dad,” the source goes on to tell Us.
The pair, who began dating in 2011, started growing their family in 2014 when Esmeralda, now 7, arrived. Amada, now 4, was born two years later.
While the duo keep their family life private, the Canadian actor did speak to British GQ about how “fast” his little ones are growing earlier this month.
“Time, in general, is something I think about a lot now,” the Oscar nominee explained at the time. “I need to keep an eye on the clock in a way I never used to. … We spend a lot of our time trying to keep them entertained.”
The La La Land star went on to reflect on hanging at home with Mendes, Esmeralda and Amada amid the coronavirus pandemic, joking that he and his Place Beyond the Pines costar did “more acting in quarantine than in [their] films” to a “tougher crowd.”
The Notebook star added, ”Our kids were at a difficult age not to be able to see other kids and interact with people, even though Eva and I did our best. … [My mom, Donna Gosling], was the perfect person to ask for help [in homeschooling] when we needed it.”
In April 2020, a source exclusively told Us what “hands-on parents” Gosling and Mendes are, explaining, “Eva has programmed her entire routine and career to ensure family comes first — then work fits in around it. Ryan is protective of Eva and a very doting dad. … He encourages everyone to [cook] with him. It’s fun for the whole family.”
For more information on their family dynamic, watch the video above and check out this week’s issue of Us Weekly, on newsstands now.
With reporting by Travis Cronin
