Eva Mendes took to social media to share a childhood memory involving her mother and beloved Venezuelan singer José Luis Rodríguez, known for his hit songs “Dueño de nada” and “Agárrense de las Manos.”
“Mi Mami y el puma! My first concert was not New Kids on the Block… it was Latin American pop sensation EL PUMA! I was mortified… and now it’s one of my favorite memories with my Mami,” Eva wrote alongside a throwback photo of her mother.
José Luis Rodríguez, nicknamed El Puma, is a Latino music icon whose influence shaped Eva’s early upbringing; however, behind the cute memory lies a powerful story.
A Strong Sacrificing Mom
Eva Mendes was raised primarily by her mother after her parents separated. Her mom, Eva Pérez Suárez, reportedly worked multiple jobs and raised her children in a modest Los Angeles apartment. According to The Times, Mendes shared that her mother even gave up her own bed so young Eva could have it.
© WireImage“I love my dad, but he wasn’t as present and as much of a support as he should have been,” she told the publication. “My mom did it by herself, and we were all in a tiny apartment.”
Adding: “She did a really beautiful thing when I was about 13 — she started sleeping on the couch and gave me the bed,” she revealed.
For Eva, that upbringing created a foundation of loyalty and admiration that still shows up today.
A Touch of Fear
While Mendes’ mom was loving, she also had a character. The retired actor said she was shaped by a stricter, fear-based parenting style common in many Cuban households.
In a candid reflection, she explained that while her mom was “so loving and so amazing,” there was also an element of being “raised by fear.” Speaking on the Parenting and You podcast with Dr. Shefali, Eva said she wants to break that pattern and that she feels bad when she yells and rushes the girls she shares with Ryan Gosling. “I think one of the hardest patterns for me is yelling,” she revealed.
© WireImage“Because I don’t yell when they need me, quote on quote, or I’ve never yelled, ‘Shut up!’ or anything. In my mind, it’s not like a mean yell. But it doesn’t matter, I yell. And it’s this yelling that I find so cultural, but it’s like I’m having a really hard time getting through and not yelling,” she added.
