Ryan Gosling, wife Eva Mendes bonded over something unexpected

Eva Mendes revealed what brought her closer to Ryan Gosling when they started dating.

Reflecting on the early days of their relationship, the 2 Fast 2 Furious star shared a surprising detail from her relationship with Gosling, 44, which played a key role in their bond: shared love for cleanliness.

"I always thought it was a Cuban thing that we love to clean, and we love a clean kitchen," the 51-year-old actress said in a recent interview.

Interestingly, she was not alone who found cleaning enjoyable. When Mendes began dating The Fall Guy star in 2011 while filming The Place Beyond the Pines, she discovered he shared that same passion.

"He would come over. He just loved it. When my family was around, we would literally take over the kitchen. It had to be clean," the Ghost Rider actress told New Beauty, describing that core memory as "a bonding experience."

Since starting a family, the mother of two has stepped away from Hollywood to focus on parenting, passing down the couple’s shared love for a spotless home to their children.

Mendes and Gosling share two daughters: Esmeralda Amada, 10, and nine-year-old Amada Lee.

Aside from voicing a character on the children’s show Bluey, the former Hollywood actress has kept a low profile since her last film role in 2014’s Lost River, which was directed by Gosling.