HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Eva Mendes is opening up about her rehab stint earlier this year, admitting she makes it a point to support others who go and seek help.
"I'm proud of people who have the determination and the fearlessness to actually go and face their demons and get better," the 34-year-old actress reveals in the August issue of Interview magazine, according to an excerpt on the Huffington Post. "This is a life or death situation."
At one point during the interview, Mendes, who entered Utah's Cirque Lodge treatment center in January, becomes upset when the interviewer makes light of the number of stars headed for rehab these days.
"I'm not making jokes, because people die from this stuff," she lashes back in the interview, which hits newsstands next week. "So, honestly, I think it's a bit tacky that you made a joke. I've got to be honest."
Mendes says she's "confused" by the public's fascination with everything celebrity, but says she doesn't let the tabloid reports get to her.
"There are so many lies out there regarding my recent trip to Cirque Lodge. But I don't care what people think. I just don't care. So I will neither confirm nor deny," she shares. "I think now we just know way too much about our celebrities. It's not that interesting when you know that much about people."
Mendes admits she was actually "thankful" that so many tabloids were off base with their substance abuse reports.
"I was so happy about that, because it's when they get the real scoop that would make me really nervous" the star explains. "It's a relief, in a way. You want it to be a lie, because when it's true, that's when I'd be like, 'Oh, my God!' It's time to rethink who's in your circle, because stuff got out."
While Mendes has maintained a steady workflow since her breakthrough role in 2001's "Training Day," in which she starred alongside Denzel Washington, the Cuban-American star confesses she often gets tired of seeing racism in Hollywood.
"What makes it frustrating is when a director or a studio head doesn't see me for the same part that they'll see, let's say, Drew Barrymore for," she explains. "Drew's a great friend of mine. But it's like, 'No, we want more of an American type of girl.' And it's like, America has opened up. I'm an American girl, born and raised."
Still, Mendes says the entertainment industry has "definitely changed" for the better, but she hopes more progress will be made in the future.
"Every time there's another successful Latin actress, that's just better for everyone involved," says Mendes, who has two films slated for release later this year — "The Women" (due out in September) and "The Spirit" (due out at Christmas).
"Now, I want to see more Asian girls," the Miami-born star adds. "People ask me if it's difficult being Cuban-American in this industry. I say, 'You know what? Not as difficult as it is being an Asian girl.' We have so many Asian girls in this country, and they're so not represented up on the screen."
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