Actress Eva Mendes, who is married to Hollywood star Ryan Gosling, once refused to star alongside Will Smith in a romantic comedy back in 2005.

Initially rejecting the Men in Black actor for the movie Hitch, Mendes cited her desire to be taken seriously as an actress and not wanting to do a romantic comedy as reasons for saying no.

Despite her initial refusal, Mendes eventually joined the cast of Hitch and even revealed that meeting Will Smith was one of the biggest highlights of her career.

In an interview, the Ghost Rider actress opened up about her thought process behind her decision to say no initially and how she could never figure out the right answer.

She stated that romantic comedies were something that people took lightly, and she wished to be an actress meant to be taken seriously.

After reading the script for Hitch again, Mendes agreed to the role and later starred alongside Will Smith in the movie.

However, according to an interview, the actress had a hard time kissing Will Smith since she was so nervous to do so.

Despite her nerves, Smith was a gentleman and simply replied that it was “absolutely wonderful.”

Mendes also talked about her unique food combinations, revealing that she ate a tuna fish sandwich with extra onions and Doritos.

She referred to the dish as her “Stank Breath Special” and even asked Will Smith about their on-screen kiss, to which he replied positively.

Hitch, the movie that Mendes initially refused to work in, has an average rating of 6.6/10 on IMDB and 66% on Rotten Tomatoes.

It is currently available to stream on fuboTV.

This isn’t the first time that Mendes has spoken out about her struggles as an actress.

In a previous interview, she shared John Leguizamo’s concerns and claimed that she was only offered “Latina” roles that made her quit acting.

Mendes wants to prove herself as a serious actress and not be limited by her ethnicity.

Although Mendes initially refused to work with Will Smith in a romantic comedy, the two actors have no bad blood between them.

Mendes simply wanted to be taken seriously as an actress and prove herself in a different genre.

With her determination and talent, there is no doubt that Mendes will continue to make a name for herself in Hollywood.