What You Didn't Know About Eiza González
Eiza González is a multi-talented actor who got her first breakthrough role on the Mexican musical telenovela, "Lola, érase una vez." The "Godzilla vs. Kong" star was just 13 years old when she was thrust into the spotlight, which eventually paved the way to a versatile career in Hollywood.
But her transition from being a telenovela actor in Mexico to a Hollywood star wasn't exactly smooth sailing. According to an interview the "Baby Driver" actor gave Coveteur, she was frequently thrust into roles that embodied offensively stereotypical depictions of Latina women. As a result of the challenges she faced at the beginning of her career, González has shared that she strives to be a role model for Latinas and is determined to break the mold in Hollywood when it comes to Latinx stereotypes. "All I care about is representing Latina women in a way where they feel proud," she revealed to ET.
Lately, the star has been killing it in her acting career, taking on roles in films such as "I Care A Lot" and "Ambulance," and on the TV series "Extrapolatations." But the actor went through a whole lot of ups and downs to get to where she is today. Without further ado, let's take a closer look at the untold truth of Eiza González.
Her father died in a motorcycle accident when she was just 12 years old
Eiza González was extremely close with her father, which made it all the more heartbreaking when he died in a tragic motorcycle accident when she was just 12 years old. According to Hola!, she still struggles with his death. In an interview with Justin Long on his "Life is Short" podcast, González said artistic outlets were able to help her cope with the untimely death of her father. She told Long that she began doing musicals at school and was cast as Rizzo in her middle school's production of "Grease." She revealed the role helped her decide what she wanted to do with the rest of her life.
"My mom started putting me in all these extra-curricular classes, and one of them was musical theatre," she told Long. She stated that her mother tried to keep her preoccupied with outside activities so that she wouldn't be as depressed. And although her father's death is still something she has to cope with, the tragedy eventually allowed her to find an outlet within the performing arts.
After playing Rizzo, she told her mother that she wanted to pursue acting for a living. Her mom, who just wanted her daughter to be happy during those difficult times, was willing to do whatever it took to support González's dreams. Now look where it got her!
Being a child actor posed a challenge for her
Although Eiza González successfully followed her dreams, becoming a telenovela star at just 13 years old, the job wasn't as glamorous as she might have hoped. According to the actor, being thrown into the public eye gave everyone permission to scrutinize her, and everyone suddenly developed their own opinions about her that weren't always positive. Because of her young age, she didn't know how to handle all the negativity. "I was not ready," she told Justin Long on his "Life is Short" podcast. "Everyone had an opinion of me. If I was good, not good. Talented, not talented. Pretty, not pretty."
The negativity she faced from the public caused her to make a big decision about her future. González said she realized she never wants her future children to follow in her footsteps, because she doesn't want them to have to go through the same pain. "That makes me never want to have children in the industry," she confessed to Long.
The ridicule González faced has led her to become an anti-bullying activist. With currently over 7.5 million followers on Instagram, she has used her voice to inspire people to put an end to bullying. "Body shaming, slut shaming and basically any form of bullying at all is just pathetic. Spread kindness. #STOPBULLYING Send something nice to someone on my comments!! Create a healthy online and day to day environment," she once wrote in part, per Marie Claire.
Eiza González developed 'severe depression,' which led to compulsive eating
Following her father's death, Eiza González says that she fell into a deep depression. To cope with his loss, the former telenovela star confesses that she developed problems with compulsive eating, which led her to gain a significant amount of weight. "I gained an aggressive amount of weight from depression because I went through [age] 12 to 13 eating," she told Justin Long on his "Life is Short" podcast. "I started eating compulsively."
As she revealed to Instagram via the Daily Mail, González says that her depression lasted for over five years. Eventually, she was able to develop a healthier relationship with food and now eats a plant-based diet, according to Elle Australia.
Sadly, her struggles with compulsive eating (which she says she dealt with till the age of 20) led the actor to be body-shamed by the masses. "People would do it all the time," she tells Long of the body shaming. "Press would do it all the time, and no one would call out the press on doing that. So every time was ... it was weird."
She has a music career as well
Even big fans of Eiza González might be unaware that she is more than just an actor — she is also a singing sensation! Per Discogs, she has two hit albums under her belt, "Contracorriente" and "Te Acordarás De Mí." As González revealed on Justin Long's podcast, "Life is Short," she became a singer well before she became an actor, and singing actually led her to acting. "Singing was my first love," she revealed. "I would sing around the house a lot."
González said that her dad picked up on her love of music, and the two would bond over various albums. Her father, who was very well-versed in the world of music, would introduce her to a wide range of artists, and she told Long that — because of her dad — she fell in love with music from the '60s, '70s, and '80s.
The music video for one of her most successful songs, "Te Acordarás De Mi," has garnered over 56 million views on Youtube, so clearly, acting isn't the only thing she's skilled at.
The actor can speak several languages
Eiza González is more than just a seasoned actor and singing sensation. She can also speak several languages!
The "Fast & Furious presents: Hobbs & Shaw" star revealed in a 2017 conversation with Interview that she can speak a multitude of languages. "I speak Italian and a little bit of French," she revealed. "I moved to Trento, Italy, when I was around 10 to learn Italian. I have family there. I'm trying to restart my French. And then I want to get into Mandarin."
Unfortunately, her frequent use of English on her public platforms has upset some of González's Spanish-speaking fans. The actor, who has made several Instagram posts utilizing English captions, has faced accusations from a good number of people of not embracing her culture of origin. González took the initiative to respond to these comments, claiming people were just looking for reasons to dog-pile on her. "I don't understand this thing that because I write in a global language, I feel less Mexican. It's just looking for excuses to criticize, that's my opinion," she responded, per People.
She's dated some awesome high-profile people in the past
After hearing about her dating history, many would probably kill to be in Eiza González's shoes! The "Lola, érase una vez" star has dated some major hotties, from Timothée Chalamet to Liam Hemsworth and Josh Duhamel, per Ranker.
But despite dating some incredibly famous men, González is reportedly adamant about keeping her romantic life as private as possible. She revealed in an interview with Coveteur that she would rather be known for her acting roles and music than her personal life. Because she has been in the public eye for more than half of her life — starting from when she was just 13 years old — it's understandable that she would prefer to keep some things close to her chest.
"When it comes to my life, and specifically to my dating life, I will probably be quiet about it. I'm a true believer that you can't open the door and then ask them not to step in. It's either you have to choose one side or the other, sadly," she told Coveteur. She went on to say that the media will often make reports about her being in a relationship with someone to whom she is merely near. Because of all the gossip and rumors, González said she would rather keep that aspect of her life to herself. We totally get it!
Eiza González is reportedly currently dating Jason Momoa
Although she does like to keep her personal life quiet, Eiza González has been dating some high-profile individuals, most recently, "Aquaman" star Jason Momoa.
While neither actor has officially confirmed the relationship, sources close to Momoa state the two are allegedly in a relationship. (Maybe she has a thing for actors from "Dune," because she was previously linked to Momoa's co-star in the film, Timothée Chalamet.) Momoa, who recently split from his long-time partner Lisa Bonet, is reportedly keeping things low-key with González. As Us Weekly reported, "Eiza and Jason are dating, it's very casual," a source revealed to the publication. "But they are having fun and getting to know each other. Ever since they met, there has been an attraction. Both of them are very attracted to each other, and they're seeing where things go."
Their desire to want to keep things quiet is understandable, considering the fact that the "Game of Thrones" actor just got out of a sixteen year-long relationship with Bonet. In a now-deleted Instagram statement, Momoa wrote that the love between the former spouses continues to exist, it's just evolving into something new. As Cosmopolitan reported, Momoa and Bonet met back in 2005 at a jazz club and share two children together, per People.
She has one big relationship deal-breaker
Eiza González has dated some of the most eligible bachelors in Hollywood. From heartthrobs like Timothée Chalamet (per Vogue) to the hunky Jason Momoa, she is clearly having fun with some of the most sought-after men in show business. With that being said, she has a big deal breaker for her boyfriends. While sitting down with Kelly Clarkson on "The Kelly Clarkson Show," the actor dished with the host about the biggest no-nos she has when it comes to her choice in romantic partners.
Before getting into it, González spilled to Clarkson that she definitely plans on getting married at some point, so she doesn't want to warn off potential suitors by being too picky on national TV. But according to the actor, the one thing that really puts her off when it comes to her love life is partners who are untidy. In fact, she is so keen on having a partner who cares about keeping things sparkling clean that she wishes there was a dating app where people can list whether or not they're slobs. "That's a big thing for me," she confessed. "It would be nice to know beforehand, because that's a big deal-breaker for me. You know, you're in the relationship, and then you start kind of living together, and then you're like, 'oh wow!'"
Jason Momoa, if you're reading this, take note!
Eiza González still feels deep insecurities despite her success
Eiza González is incredibly talented, beautiful, and successful. But despite her winning streak, the actor admits she still feels deep insecurities about her stardom. She struggles with the notion that all her fame and fortune is "too good to be true" and that soon enough, it will all vanish. "I had a conversation with my mom. Two days ago, she was with me on the set of 'Hobbs & Shaw.' I sat down with her, and I looked at her, and I said, 'I am scared,'" she confessed to ET. "And she said, 'What do you mean?' I was like, 'I'm just scared this is going to be the end?' I'm still a woman. I'm still insecure and I fear when you're like, 'This is too good to be true!'"
González continued, admitting that she feels a certain amount of pressure to be a role model, especially for Latinas. She said that she wanted to make her fans proud, but it's not always easy, because — after all — she's still human. Fortunately, she shared her mother helped her realize that being a role model just means being a decent person. She doesn't have to be perfect, as long as she is kind.
And while González admits to having insecurities, she also strives to participate in acts of self-love. Per the Daily Mail, the "Godzilla vs. Kong" star even got a tattoo dedicated to self-love, by the artist Winterstone.
The telenovela star has dealt with controversies from her past
Eiza González faced a wave of backlash in 2021 when she was accused of using blackface. The controversy began after pictures of González and Timothée Chalamet kissing went public. After one Twitter user commented on her history with using blackface, González began trending. "So Timothée is apparently hanging out and kissing Eiza González in Cabo.. she has worn blackface and culturally appropriates without apologizing," one person tweeted (via Us Weekly). "I'm sorry, but that ain't it. Timothée what are you doing lauv?"
The actor wore blackface as part of a costume for "Lola, érase una vez" when she was 15 years old. According to González, she was contractually obligated to don the offensive makeup, despite being uncomfortable with it at the time. In a statement to E! News, she expressed her remorse: "I am deeply sorry and ashamed about having worn blackface makeup shown in the images circulating. As a 15-year-old child actor on my first job in a Mexican telenovela ... I could not advocate for myself in the situation. I wish I had the voice and knowledge then that I have now."
She also received backlash for cultural appropriation when she sported Geisha clothing and makeup while on a trip to Japan. She told E! News that she was attempting to show admiration for the culture, but that she understood how it could be perceived as offensive without context.
The tragic death of her co-star and close friend Octavio Ocaña
Losing a close friend is never easy, and Eiza González can testify to that. In 2021, her former co-star and confidant Octavio Ocaña tragically died at only 22 years old.
Ocaña was González's castmate on "Lola, érase una vez," dating back to 2007, per Hola! The actor is reported to have died from a gunshot wound to the head that he allegedly received at the hands of a police officer after a traffic stop went wrong. The tragic incident reportedly caused González to become sad and confused, as she was incredibly shocked by the sudden death of her friend.
The "Baby Driver" actor took to social media to mourn the loss of Ocaña. In an emotional tweet, she wrote (translated from Spanish), "I have been trying to digest the terrible news about Octavio for several days. I want to share that my time with him on Lola was incredibly special as he and I spent quite a bit of time together. Including his family. I am filled with sadness about what happened and I still can't come to terms with it."
What is Eiza González's net worth?
Eiza González has been receiving hefty paychecks since she was barely old enough to wear braces. Considering the fact that the star has been working in show business since she was 13 years old, it's fair to assume she has saved up a decent amount of dough in the 15-plus years she has been working in front of the camera.
Per Celebrity Net Worth, the actor is estimated to be worth $5 million. But González reportedly isn't just content to let her money sit in a bank account, as she thinks it's incredibly important to use her platform as a net positive, raising awareness for various causes.
According to People, González loves to give back, and she increased her activism during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on supporting local businesses who suffered as a result of the global situation. "I DM with my fans actively, and I've been asking people to DM me or send me any type of local businesses to retweet and make sure that other people are able to see," she told People. "Not even just my fans but all kinds of people and businesses, and being aware that it's important to help the locals right now as much as we possibly can. That's kind of what I like to use my social media for — to create awareness."