Why Eva Mendes Named Her Daughter Esmeralda After a Disney Character

In 2015, Eva Mendes stopped by The Wendy Williams Show and opened up about having her daughter Esmeralda and a big Cuban family to help her raise her.

Eva kept it real when she said she's never appreciated her family as much as she does now that she's a mom, adding, "It's like a takeover. The Cubans are coming. It's amazing. They take the baby, there's food, the dishes are done. It's a beautiful takeover." The mom, who just celebrated her daughter's first birthday, also says she doesn't technically have a nanny (though she's "not antinanny, you do what you have to do as a parent") but likes to clarify that she does have help and is grateful for all the extra hands around to support her.

The actress and fashion designer also revealed the story behind the name Esmeralda, saying it came from a Disney movie: "We love Hunchback of Notre Dame. We loved the name, the cartoon, and the novel, you know — it just kind of kept coming back to us. It's actually a very popular Latin name so it's easy for my father and certain family members that still don't speak English to pronounce. That was a good selling point." Watch the full interview above to find out what Eva thinks about the term "bouncing back," and then check out her recent quotes about motherhood.

This post was originally published on Sept. 17, 2015.