Eva Mendes Says Ryan Gosling's 'Cuban Papi' "SNL "Sketch Was Inspired by Hanging Out with Her Dad: 'Finally Paid Off'

09/20/2024 02:06 PM

Gosling played a character who adopted a Cuban accent after marrying a Cuban woman in the 'Saturday Night Live' sketch in April

Ryan Gosling got some inspiration from Eva Mendes' family for his Saturday Night Live hosting stint.

During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Wednesday, Sept. 18, Mendes, 50, was asked which her favorite SNL sketches were from when her longtime partner Gosling, 43, hosted the show on April 13.

Mentioning the Barbie actor's "Can't Tonight" sketch — which saw him adopt a Cuban accent after marrying a Cuban woman — Mendes said how the skit was inspired by her Cuban father, Juan Carlos Mendez.

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"With Cuban Papi, the thing that was so funny is my dad actually doesn't speak English and this is like 'Oh, he speaks a little.' No, no, no, he doesn't speak English. He's been in the country for 50-something years," Mendes told Fallon.

"Anyway, so when Ryan and he hang out, it's very much like 'Ah! My baby! Ah! Yeah! Hey! That's my baby! Bootiful, bootiful,' " she went on, impersonating the pair's communication. 

"And that's it. So, after what? 12 years? It finally paid off," Mendes told the host.

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This isn't the first time the actress — who has been promoting her children's book Desi, Mami, and the Never-Ending Worries — has mentioned the inspiration behind the SNL sketch.

On April 16, a few days after the skit aired, Mendes shared the clip on Instagram, writing in the caption, "My Cuban Papi made this Cuban Mami so happy with this!! Years of hanging out with my Dad paid off."

"Gracias to the super talented @marcellohdz for this skit. The way you say 'Eva Mendes' 😂! And @kenanthompson always crushing," she added, referencing SNL cast members Marcello Hernández and Kenan Thompson who also appear in the sketch.

"Can't wait for this trio's next reunion. ❤️," Mendes concluded.

Related: Eva Mendes Shares Photos of Her and Ryan Gosling's Daughter's Stuffed Animals on Plane

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In the sketch, Gosling and Hernández portray two friends trying to convince Thompson to go out to the club with them. At one point, Thompson tells the server that Gosling — who speaks with a Latino accent throughout — "is from Tennessee, but ever since he married a Cuban woman, he different."

"A Cuban wife can change you," the Canadian star joked.

Gosling and Mendes first started dating after making 2012's The Place Beyond the Pines. The longtime couple now share two daughters together; Esmeralda Amada, 10, and Amada Lee, 8.

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