Eva Mendes says partner Ryan Gosling is the one who makes her feel sexy

Believe it or not, Eva Mendes says she "never considered herself" beautiful — but it's her longtime partner Ryan Gosling who makes her feel "really f****** sexy."

That's what the actress, mom, author and entrepreneur tells the Times of London in a new interview about her life and career.

On the latter, she's frank. "I was never in love with acting. I don't mean this in a self-deprecating way, but I wasn't a great actress," Eva says, allowing, "I had my moments when I worked with really great people."

Two of those films are 2013's The Place Beyond the Pines, on which she met her Barbie star beau and the mother of her two children, Esmeralda, 10, and Amada, 8, and 2014's Lost River, the 50-year-old's last film and Ryan's directorial debut.

"He gets something out of me that's never been accessible before," she says.

On that note, the actress credits Gosling with something else.

"I feel really f****** sexy at times," Mendes says. "The way my man looks at me is just ... at times I'm like, 'Oh my God.' That might not sit well with people, but so much of how I feel is a reflection of what he’s giving me."

She adds, "There's so many things that can make me feel sexy and I'd say that I feel more sexy than not. I guess because I've never considered myself beautiful, but I’ve always felt very sexy."

For the record, Eva says she was "totally fine" with turning 50, adding, "It's just that number sounds crazy."