Eva Mendes: ‘I didn’t know if I could dress normally here’

Melanie Swan

• Last Updated: October 18. 2009 1:13AM UAE / October 17. 2009 9:13PM GMT

ABU DHABI // The actress and model Eva Mendes spoke yesterday of breaking down negative stereotypes of the region by coming here for this year’s Middle East International Film Festival.

Mendes, who was born in Miami but grew up in Los Angeles, usually avoids the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, only attending premieres and screenings of movies in which she is involved.

However, she said that when she was invited to Abu Dhabi, she saw it as an opportunity to see the region for herself.

“I’ve been very curious about this part of the world for a long time now. I’ve just been in New York so it seemed like a good time to come and see this part of the world and support cinema.”

She admitted many Americans had negative images of the region but said she was undeterred when invited to be a guest of honour at last night’s gala.

“A lot of Americans think it’s not safe for some reason. I have felt so welcomed and nothing but warmth since I landed.

“I will let people know these are beautiful people and it is completely safe. These people want us to come.”

Worried about cultural customs, she says it was “ignorance” that deterred many people from seeing the beauty of the region. “I admit, I didn’t know if I could dress normally here or how strict it would be.”

Mendes, 34, said she had suffered jet lag since arriving so had spent her time relaxing at the Emirates Palace hotel.

The actress, who has starred in films including Hitch, Training Day and Once Upon a Time in Mexico, said that festivals such as MEIFF were “crucial” to filmmakers and actors alike.

“It’s not just a place you come to give support but you also get to see what’s going on in film in other parts of the world and see movies you’d never get the chance to see” she said.

Mendes, whose parents were Cuban, is also fluent in Spanish and says she would love to do more international cinema, citing the directors Pedro Almodóvar from Spain and Luc Besson from France among her inspirations from the international arena. She also loves Bollywood. “I’d love a cameo role on one of those movies,” she said.

Mendes, who also appears in advertisements for the cosmetics brand Revlon, said the highlight of her career had been buying her mother a new house, taking her out of the cramped two-bedroom flat the family had lived in for years.

The youngest of four siblings, she said: “We weren’t poor, we always had food on the table, but we didn’t have money for the nice things in life.”

mswan@thenational.ae