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Actor Denzel Washington is one of the most prolific actors working in the industry today. The actor has won the Academy Award twice and has single-handedly changed the way African-American characters are depicted in films. He has been part of dramatic films as well as headlined action blockbusters.
Washington is also known for his outgoing and helping nature. He is always regarded as a helpful actor by his co-stars. Actress Eva Mendes, known for her roles in films likeWe Own The Night, credits Washington for having stopped her from quitting the acting business altogether.
Also read:“I felt like I had been sabotaged”: After Robin Williams, Ethan Hawke Had Trouble Working With Denzel Washington After Actor Nearly Pushed Him to Quit
Eva Mendes’ Career Hit A Slump
BeforeDenzel WashingtonchangedEva Mendes’fate withTraining Day, the actress only starred in a supporting capacity in lesser-known films. She starred in the direct-to-video filmChildren of the Corn V: Fields of Terrorand featured along with Scarlett Johansson in the children’s filmMy Brother the Pig.
Mendes had mentioned that she was tired of the roles she was being offered at the time and was determined to look for other work before she auditioned forTraining Day. After getting the role, the actress reportedly went crazy and was thankful to Denzel Washington for reinvigorating her career. She starred alongside Washington again inOut of Time. The actress then had a sprawling career as she starred in films likeGhost Rider,We Own The Night, andThe Place Beyond The Pines. She starred with her now-husband, Ryan Gosling, in the latter.
However, the actress has since taken a break from acting, appearing in fewer roles. She has mentioned that her family is her priority at the moment, referring to the daughters she has with Gosling. She has also mentioned that she is happy with the kind of roles Latina actresses are being offered these days as opposed to what she used to get back when she was active. Mendes was last seen in Ryan Gosling’s directorialLost River.
Also read:“Eva and Ryan seem happy, it’s cute”: Heartwarming Details About Ryan Gosling’s Extremely Private Love Life With Eva Mendes Come Out After ‘Barbie’ Crosses $1 Billion
Denzel Washington Helped Eva Mendes Continue Acting
The Antoine Fuqua directorialTraining Daywas a career-defining role for many. Lead actor Ethan Hawke was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar and Denzel Washington earned his second Oscar for playing the role of Alonzo Harris, a corrupt LAPD narcotics cop. The film was a box-office hit, earning over $104 million globally against a $45 million budget.
The film also stars Eva Mendes, who plays Sara, Alonzo’s mistress. The film was her breakthrough as an actor, as she claims that before the film, she was only being offered cheesy and boring roles. By the time her audition forTraining Daycame up, she was ready to quit acting.
Also read:“Everyone in Hollywood behaves so badly”: Denzel Washington’s Squeaky Clean Image Took a Hit After Actor Fired Director from $104M Movie to Hire His Close Friend
She credits working with Denzel Washington to be the primary reason why she chose to stick to the industry. The actress revealed in an interview withFemalemagazine,
“I was ready to quit acting beforeTraining Day. I had been acting for about two-and-a-half years and I was doing bad TV shows…and I was like, ‘What am I doing? This isn’t going to be for me. It’s not working.’ I didTraining Day, worked with Denzel Washington, and he was single-handedly responsible for me continuing acting.”
The success ofTraining Dayand her appearance led to Eva Mendes starring in blockbuster films such as2 Fast 2 Furious, Once Upon A Time In Mexico, andGhost Rider. She also starred along with Will SmithHitch,which made her the first Latina actress to headline a romantic comedy.
Training Dayis streaming on Max.
Also read:“you’re able to’t not like her”: Dakota Fanning Spent an Entire Year to Impress Denzel Washington With a Heartwarming Gesture For His Wife Pauletta
Source:Female
Nishanth A
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2415
Nishanth A is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on TV shows with over 2,000 articles published. He has been an entertainment journalist for the past two years and a scriptwriter at various corporations before that, working on educational content. With a Communications, English Literature, and Psychology triple major, Nishanth usually covers news and analyses on Star Trek, particularly Strange New Worlds and The Next Generation; Doctor Who, the DCU, and more.A Nolan fan, Nishanth spends his time exploring the filmographies of various directors with an auteurial style or can be found making short movies of his own. He has also contributed as a feature writer for Film Companion, focusing on the South division.
