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See the Rare Photo Eva Mendes Just Shared From When She Met Ryan Gosling

The long-time couple met on the set of 2012's The Place Beyond the Pines.

Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling don't share very much about their relationship. Sure, they mention each other in interviews here and there, and Mendes sometimes references their kids on social media, but in general, fans don't see or hear much of the two actors together. (Gosling doesn't have an Instagram account and hasn't posted on Twitter since 2018.) But, on Thursday, May 27, Mendes made a rare exception and shared a photo of herself and Gosling from the movie that introduced them.

Read on to see the still from the movie that Mendes shared and to learn more about their relationship.

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Mendes posted the photo of her and Gosling, noting she was throwing it "wayyy back."

https://www.instagram.com/p/CPZLXWYD6-O/

In 2012, Mendes and Gosling met on the set of The Place Beyond the Pines. The movie stars Gosling as a motorcycle stunt driver and criminal who finds out that he fathered a baby with Mendes' character. The film is a dark one, but the actors met and then fell in love because of it. Now, they've been together for 10 years and have two children.

The shot Mendes shared shows her and Gosling staring into each others' eyes. While they're both in character, Gosling looks quite different with his bleached blonde hair and many tattoos. Mendes captioned the Instagram post, "Throwing it wayyy back…." She previously posted a clip of her and Gosling in the movie together in March 2020.

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Mendes doesn't otherwise share photos of Gosling.

Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling
WENN Rights Ltd/Alamy Stock Photo

Also in March 2020, Mendes explained that she won't post any new images of Gosling on her Instagram account. As reported by Us Weekly, an Instagram user wrote on one of her posts, "wouldn't mind an appearance by Ryan on this page." The actor responded, "As far as Ryan, I'll only post flash backs of things that are already 'out there' (like pics from movies we did or stuff like that)." She added, "My man and kids are private. That's important to me so thanks for getting that. Have a beautiful day. Sending so much love!"

RELATED: Eva Mendes Sparked a Major Controversy on Instagram.

Mendes has commented on their relationship in response to criticism on Instagram before.

Eva Mendes at a photocall for the movie "Live!" in 2009
lucacavallari / Shutterstock.com

In May 2020, Mendes posted about being a tired mom during the pandemic and received some passionate comments in response. "Tired Mama," Mendes wrote on Instagram. "Stayed up laaate trying to make my baby's 4th birthday extra special since she won't see the family. Here's to all you having a quarantine birthday…sending extra love. Here's to all you tired mamas…sending extra love."

In response, some people took issue with Mendes talking about "tired mamas" instead of "tired parents." Others questioned why Gosling wasn't helping her out. In the comments section, Mendes said that she only said "mamas" because she often connected with other mothers on her page and that she doesn't talk about Gosling's parenting our of respect for his privacy.

"It's just me connecting to other women but in no way does it de-value what papas do. And why I don't talk about Ryan and all the wonderful things he does as a father is because I keep that part private," she wrote. "I don't want to involve him or how he parents because I don't feel comfortable crossing that boundary that I have set for myself. I feel it's best that I continue to disclose what I'm comfortable with but not involve him or my kids too much."

She talks about their kids on Instagram and in interviews.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAQ05KoDsQ7/

Mendes references her and Gosling's children, six-year-old Esmeralda and five-year-old Amada, on Instagram and in interviews. For instance, during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, she talked about being home with her kids all the time. "Sometimes it feels like we are running some kind of bed-and-breakfast with very drunk and aggressive guests," she joked in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald. "We really do feel like we are working in a hotel, and the guests are angry and bossy and demand food brought to them. And by the time they go to sleep, we're left to just clean up and talk about how they've treated us that day!"

And here, from an Instagram posted in May 2020, Mendes shared a photo of herself covered in makeup with two words, seemingly about her daughters: "They've won" with a heart emoji.

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But she doesn't share photos of her kids either.

Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes at Tao Restaurant for an "SNL" afterparty in 2017
Robert Kamau/GC Images via Getty Images

Though she will talk about them, Mendes has made clear that she won't post photos of her kids. "I have always had a clear boundary when it comes to my man and my kids. I'll talk about them, of course, with limits, but I won't post pictures of our daily life," she wrote on Instagram in April 2020, as reported by Us Weekly. "And since my children are still so little and don't understand what posting their image really means, I don't have their consent. And I won't post their image until they're old enough to give me consent. As far as Ryan and I, it just works for us this way, to stay private."

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Lia Beck
Lia Beck is a writer living in Richmond, Virginia. In addition to Best Life, she has written for Refinery29, Bustle, Hello Giggles, InStyle, and more. Read more
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