Eva Mendes’ ‘Practical’ Nature Combined With ‘Perfectionist’ Ryan Gosling Makes ‘Home Life’ ‘Tricky’ (Exclusive)

Ryan Gosling and longtime partner Eva Mendes have very different personalities, a source tells In Touch.

The Hitch actress, 53, is “practical” and “realistic” whereas the La La Land actor, 45, is “eccentric” and a “perfectionist,” reveals the source.

“She knows how to handle Ryan when he gets ridiculously picky about what music they listen to in the car or what they’re having for dinner,” adds the source. “Everything is extremely hands-on and personalized for him, that’s just how he likes it.

While “this can be helpful when it comes to choosing movie roles,” notes the source, “it’s a bit tricky when you’re trying to raise a family and you just want to have a somewhat normal home life.”

They manage, though.

As In Touch previously reported, Mendes opened up during a 2024 Today show appearance about her “nonverbal agreement” with Gosling that she would pause her acting career to be a stay-at-home mom to their two young daughters Esmeralda, 11, and Amada, 9 — which she was happy to do.

“Even though she and Ryan don’t go out a lot as a couple, they’re constantly together and Eva travels with him and the kids on every movie he makes,” adds the source, including his last two hit films, Barbie and Project Hail Mary.

“He really needs her around if he’s going to be on a distant location for a long period of time, and they spent the last two summers in Europe because of his filming schedule,” says the source. “There’s no way he would have had the crazy success he’s enjoyed without her.”