Eva Mendes

Finally, a Cuban-American who can replace our tattered Scarface posters. Star of the film Ghost Rider, Eva Mendes is beautiful enough to steal our hearts and tough enough to kick our asses. And if she did, we’d like it.

You grew up in Silver Lake, a neighborhood in Los Angeles. Do all the girls from L.A. want to be actresses?
It’s strange growing up in a city where everyone is an “aspiring blank”—writer, singer, actor. I didn’t want to be that. I wanted to go into art history. Acting fell into my lap when a neighbor took pictures of me and showed them to an agent. Then I found an acting coach and worked my butt off. I did my share of bad jobs. And bad performances. I’m no Meryl Streep now, but I was awful when I started.

We thought you rocked in Children of the Corn V…
I was awful in Children. It was my first movie, and I hadn’t acted since being the fairy godmother in fourth grade. I’m not fishing for a compliment, but C5, as I call it, was a disaster. [Read more]