How Ryan Gosling Made Eva Mendes's 50th Birthday "Very Special"

Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes manage to be one of Hollywood's most enduring and endearing couples, even though they're also one of the most low-key duos, too. They're not red carpet regulars and even though Gosling was an awards season darling for his role of Ken in Barbie, Mendes let him have the spotlight and supported him from home. Sources close to the couple explain that Gosling made Mendes's recent birthday super-special, even though it was smack-dab in the middle of all the awards shows, falling on Mar. 5. This year marked Mendes's 50th and Gosling made the milestone year special by doing the simplest, sweetest thing: just reminding her that she's beautiful.

"She seemed very comfortable turning 50. Ryan constantly tells her she’s beautiful. He made her birthday very special," a source told People. "Eva and Ryan are truly such a happy couple. They’re very supportive of each other’s passions. They’re also grateful for the financial freedom their work gives them, and they’re all about family time. They’re great at balancing everything."

Back in January, Gosling gave Mendes a heartwarming shoutout during an event at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

Reflecting on his career, Gosling said, "Most importantly, I got to meet the girl of my dreams, Eva Mendes, and have two dream children ... I dreamed of one day making movies, and now, movies have made my life a dream."

Gosling and Mendes met on the set of their film The Place Beyond the Pines, which was released back in 2012. 

During an interview on the Today show, Mendes opened up about her choice to focus on their kids while Gosling continued acting.

"It was like a no-brainer," she said. "I'm so lucky if I could have this time with my children."

The couple shares two daughters, Esmeralda Amada, who is 9-and-a-half years old, and Amada Lee, who will be turning 8.

Mendes also mentioned that she prefers not to act, because "acting takes you on location. It takes you away."

"It was almost just like a non-verbal agreement that it was like, 'OK, he's going to work and I'm going to work. I'm just going to work here,'" she said. "He went and he did his job. He just happens to be really good at his job. And he did it and he came home."