Eva Mendes

Giving New York City The Horn

	I do gardening naked. If I’m hanging out naked and see some roses that need pruning, I’ll prune them. I’m not going to get dressed first.

Mercy! When it comes to perfection, you can’t get much closer than the viciously attractive Eva Mendes. She’s acted with Hollywood heavyweights Denzel Washington and Joaquin Phoenix, yet she kindly took some time out to talk to Maxim about what she likes to do naked and farting with Cameron Diaz.

Your new movie, We Own The Night, opens with a pretty explicit scene between you and Joaquin Phoenix. What was that day like?

It was tough. That morning I was so nervous that the director was like, ‘Why don’t you put a little vodka in your orange juice?’ So I did. It took the edge off.

Is it bizarre to watch your own sex scenes?

It was weird to see myself in bed with Joaquin up on the big screen. I told my mom she had to come 15 minutes late. She couldn’t have lived through that first scene – she’d have had a heart attack.

During filming you went to dinner with Joaquin and the tabloids linked you as a couple. Did you have a good laugh at that?

Yeah, and the same thing happened with Matt Damon when we filmed Stuck On You. A few times when they were talking about Matt and me, it was actually Matt and his wife.

You’ve flashed some skin on-screen. Are you a naked-around-the-house girl?

Constantly.

What’s the weirdest thing you do naked?

I do gardening naked. If I’m hanging out naked and see some roses that need pruning, I’ll prune them. I’m not going to get dressed first. But I’m not an exhibitionist – I don’t want my neighbours to see.

Your TV debut was Aerosmith’s ‘Hole In My Soul’ video. Any good stories from the set?

I played a character created in a lab, Weird Science-style. I was wearing an American flag bikini. Pure class… I was so embarrassed.

What’s your worst video experience?

I did walk off a rap video once. My first year in the business, I went out for any roles that would take me. But after a couple of videos, I told my agent, ‘No more gyrating in bikinis.’ On the next video, they brought in all these tiny sequined shorts and bras, and I said, ‘I’m not wearing those.’They go, ‘You said you wouldn’t wear a bikini.’ I needed money, so I was looking at this sequined thing, going, ‘What do I do?’ Then I saw a sign that said something like ‘Holding area for cash money hos’. I was like, ‘I’m out,’ and I took off in my ‘85 Escort. I’m proud of that moment.

You appeared in Will Smith’s ‘Miami’ video. Did that lead to your role in Hitch?

Not at all. I expected Will to be like, ‘Congrats, you’ve done well since your video girl days,’ but he didn’t remember me. I was like, ‘You don’t remember me, do you?’ and I saw a bit of panic in his eyes.

A few years ago, you and Cameron Diaz went to Nepal for her MTV show, and we learned you’re arachnophobic.

I used to freak out and start screaming if I saw a spider. I was actually hypnotised to get over it.

Did being hypnotised work?

The fear is still there, but it’s about 80 per cent better than it was.

We heard that you kept Cameron awake by farting…

Cameron is a big ol’ belcher, but I can’t belch. One night I had a heavy dinner, so I combated her belching with something I could do. We were in side-by-side beds, so it was her disgusting bodily function versus mine. It was an Eva-Cameron fart-belch off.

Lots of celebrities deny rumours about themselves. Would you like to take this opportunity to start an unfounded rumour about yourself?

Yes! What would freak people out? Six toes? Excessive back hair? Here’s something I honestly do: bite my toenails. I used to be addicted. I’d sit in front of the TV and chew away. I don’t do it in front of people because it’s private.

Unless someone has a toenail-biting fetish.

If you’re a freak, maybe. And what about furries – someone in a bunny costume and someone in a chipmunk costume having sex? My friend told me about that, and I laughed so hard. There’s something kind of sweet – in a weird way – about furries. It’s a cute visual.

Are you saying you’d have sex in a bunny costume?

I don’t see that in my future. Although, I’m young… you never know what you may feel like doing when you get into your 60s and you’ve done everything. For now, I don’t see it, but I’m not ruling it out.

See more of Eva Mendes at Freeones.com