Finally there are some answers about the baby that broke the Internet. Remember when everybody first found out that Eva Mendes was pregnant with Ryan Gosling's child? There were reactions of excitement, shock, and even sadness from those who wished it was theirs. Oh, and then some people even went overboard and photoshopped what the Mendes-Gosling baby would look like. Yeah, those people need to find better hobbies... Anyway, the speculation surrounding Baby Mendes-Gosling can be put to rest, because Eva Mendes talked about motherhood and why she and Gosling named their daughter Esmeralda Amada. In an interview with a digital magazine called Violet Grey, she explained,
Ryan and I both love the Esmeralda character from the Victor Hugo novel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and we just think it’s a beautiful name.
Agreed! It is a beautiful name, plus the fact that it's a literary reference makes it even better. Although I haven't read the book myself, I have seen the Disney movie, which counts for something, right? Now I can't help but wonder if little Ezzy (is that what you call Esmeralda for short?) will grow up watching Disney's Hunchback movie all the time, too. And as for the middle name, Mendes says, "Amada was my grandmother’s name. It means 'beloved' in Spanish." Aww!
Not only did she reveal the name's origin, but Mendes also proved she's already an amazing parent. Instead of complaining about late nights or constantly caring for her new baby, she said that actually her daughter is the one who has it rough:
Everything is a struggle for her. For instance, I haven’t thrown up since the '90s and she’s thrown up twice since we started this interview. Motherhood is cake compared to what it’s like to be a baby.
So selfless and so sweet! She told the site, "I thought my wild nights were over, but these are some of the wildest nights I’ve ever had." Mendes also brought up a very important topic: privacy. The actress explained how she and Gosling want to give their daughter as much privacy as possible, although she knows that's never easy since they're both ridiculously famous:
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. 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 all makes SO MUCH sense now. That's why the pregnancy was kept under wraps. She also makes a valid point — of course she deserves to not be the focus of media frenzy. She's just a child who should have as normal a childhood as possible, despite the fact that she has the coolest dad ever and a pretty fantastic mom.
Now for nostalgia's sake and reference purposes, here's a clip from the Disney version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, which shows Esmeralda as a kind-hearted, fierce female character — aka everything you'd expect Mendes and Gosling's baby to be:
Images: Getty Images
