As Romina in the upcoming drama The Place Beyond the Pines, Eva Mendes plays the a woman caught in the whirlwind of the lives of a line of men who are all affected by her choice to tell a long-lost fling that her son is also his. From makeup decisions, to a strange audition process, Eva discussed a number details regarding her new film at a roundtable interview in New York City.

How nervous were you when you first went to Derek [Cianfrance] to audition?

I had actually never felt so secure in my life; I will tell you why. I had heard that he wasn’t sure about me fitting in to this role, and I kind of just had this very peaceful feeling about it, because I knew it was mine. He is from New York; I went to go meet him in LA, where he was casting, and said, “Look, I can go into this room and audition, but instead why don’t you come with me. We will take a drive, and I will show you where I grew up in Los Angeles, and we will talk about the character that way.” I knew once he could see a different side of me, that he would feel that I was right for it. So I was actually really calm about it, because I had never taken someone on a tour in my life to neighborhoods and stuff like that, so it was beautiful for me as well. We took about a two-hour drive: where I grew up, where I went to school, different places, then we stopped at this little park that I used to go to, and it was beautiful.

Can you talk a little bit about working with Ryan [Gosling]?

He’s the greatest. This whole cast; Ryan, Bradley [Cooper], Ray Liotta — Ray Liotta, he really just kind of goes for the jugular, I loved it, he really challenged me. Working with Dane Dehaan, working with young talent that you just know will do amazing things — that’s the beauty about Derek: he knows how to cast, and everybody just plays so well off each other.

Were there opportunities for improvisation?

Yes there were, which I really love. Derek wrote [the script], but he told me from the beginning, “I am not married to these words.” There was a lot of freedom. It was great; he put us in situations where a lot of scenes were very organic, and when a line wasn’t working, he would say “Lose it, just dump it.” I have never worked at this level before, I am kind of angry at Derek because I don’t know how I am going to work on another film.

You grew up in LA but filmed in Schenectady, so what parts of your neighborhood were you able to use for this? Was that something that worried Derek?

We [my family] weren’t poor, but we were lower, lower middle class, and there was a struggle being so close to Hollywood, but still light years away. Schenectady is so close to New York City, but light years away. I take responsibility for the image that I have put out there, and I think Derek was worried I was a bit too “glamorous,” but the truth is, that’s something I tap into when I have to. Just like when I am working on a campaign, and the hair and makeup comes into play, or if I am doing a photo shoot for a fashion magazine — or even like today, I want you guys to think I look nice. I am not going to wake up looking like a hobo, like Will Ferrell called me in The Other Guys. (laughter) When I am out there, I am not that girl; I am an “LA girl” who certainly didn’t grow up on the streets at all — but I am the girl next door when it’s just me.

So what’s next?

Lunch. (laughter) I am really excited about the Larry David thing [Clear History]; hopefully you guys will like it.

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Matthew Schuchman is the founder and film critic of Movie Reviews From Gene Shalit’s Moustache and a contributor to Den of Geek.