Ryan Gosling Called Eva Mendes The "Girl Of My Dreams" During Emotional Speech

Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes have been together for more than a decade, and have done their level best to keep their relationship private. They never attend awards shows together and rarely talk about each other in public. Which is why Gosling’s beautiful shout-out to the “girl of his dreams” during his acceptance speech at an awards show this weekend felt so special. He got choked up while making the connection between his dream job and his dream family, and we got choked up right along with him.

The Barbie actor was honored with the Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film at the Santa Barbara Film Festival over the weekend, and delivered a particularly emotional speech where he shared how much his career as an actor has impacted his life. “Most importantly, I got to meet the girl of my dreams, Eva Mendes, and have two dream children,” he said during his speech. Gosling and Mendes met while filming the 2011 thriller The Place Beyond The Pines, and went on to welcome 9-year-old daughter Esmerelda and 7-year-old daughter Amada together. Something that might not have happened were it not for Gosling’s career in the movies. “I dreamed of one day making movies, and now, movies have made my life a dream,” he continued, “So the way I see it, there's no way I've contributed half as much to cinema as cinema has contributed to me, but the idea that I might have given something back to the thing that's given so much to me is too great an honor for me to express.”

Mendes might not have joined Gosling during awards season, but she has made her love and support for him clear in her own way. Like using a hot photo of Gosling as the lock screen on her phone, for instance, or when she proudly proclaimed that he was her “Ken” ahead of the movie premiere. She recently shared a viral reaction of Gosling’s at the Critics Choice Awards, when he was clearly in shock over “I’m Just Ken” winning Best Song. She shared the moment on Instagram with the all-caps message “I LOVE HIM!!!!”

Eva, whomst among us...?

They really do seem to have built a dream life together with their two daughters. All because of the movies. Sigh.