Eva Mendes was blessed with a role opposite Oscar-winner Denzel Washington in cop drama Training Day back in 2001. They re-teamed for the rather less successful Out Of Time and, in between, she took supporting roles in 2 Fast 2 Furious, Once Upon A Time In Mexico and madcap comedy Stuck On You. Hitch marks another change of pace for the Latina actress, this time starring alongside Will Smith in what's already become a record-breaking romantic comedy.

This project seemed to come together very quickly...

It was actually one of those things that was rather easy. Usually the whole process from getting the script to making the deal is kind of arduous, you know? So this was the first that it felt like it was just supposed to happen and it just did so naturally. They sent me the script and I said, "I love it!" Then I met with Will [Smith] and it took like ten minutes and we realised, "Okay this is great." And that's really it. It just happened.

Was there an audition process?

No, it was just sitting down with him and he'd seen my stuff from before. Again, I couldn't believe how easy it was. I was like, "Uh, what!?" Usually this is much more difficult. But you can tell just by talking to someone whether you have chemistry or not. I don't even remember what we said, it was just small talk, but we were like, "Do you feel good? 'Cause I feel good. Great. Perfect. Seeya!"

Did you have the opportunity to improvise together once cameras started rolling?

No, because I was like the new kid on the block. It was my first romantic comedy and obviously Will's a pro and Kevin James is a pro and they come from comedy and TV sitcoms so it was great for them because they got to improvise and I didn't really. I might have got a couple of things in there but for the most part, no.

What about the crazy dancing scene at the end?

Oh, that was all improvised, yeah! None of that was choreographed for anybody. We were just like, "Okay, let's just act like idiots on the dance floor. Who can out-idiot each other!" I know that doesn't sound right, but you know what I mean.

Your character has a pretty rough date in the movie, but what's the worst dating experience you've ever had?

Actually I have a few, but if I have to pick one... I was in 12th grade and I asked this guy to go to the dance with me and he went and he just had a bad attitude the whole time. It was a winter formal, but we had to take these professional pictures when you stand and look all stupid. Anyway he didn't want to do that with me. He was like too cool for school, right? So after not having a great time I said, "Well, come on Rick, let's go dance." And he's like, "Eugh." He went to the bathroom and I'm waiting there and he never comes back! Not only that but when everybody else is in pairs I was the total fifth wheel because I had to find a ride home with this other couple. I was mortified.

Did you ever see him again?

Oh, we had words at school. Definitely.

Obviously you could relate to this character, but was the part originally written for a Latina?

No. None of the parts were written in that way. It was great because none of that was an issue. It's also great because I believe we're breaking a lot of records in the States right now. It's insane. We've been on top for two weeks now and now we're at $90m something dollars which is unheard of for a romantic comedy for two weekends. Why I'm bragging about this and so proud about this is because it's the first time that you have two leads that are non-white and bringing in that kind of moolah. It's very exciting and hopefully this is a sign that times are changing.

Do you feel like the Latin audience has previously been underestimated by Hollywood?

Absolutely. Yeah.

You've just wrapped on The Wendell Baker Story with Luke Wilson. What can you tell us about it?

Yeah, I'm really excited about that. Luke and Owen Wilson are in it and Will Ferrell is in it. Basically it's a story that Luke wrote with his other brother - I'm sure Andrew will love being referred to as the other brother, but there is another Wilson called Andrew Wilson and he and Luke co-directed it. It's just a really sweet story about this petty conman played by Luke who loses the love of his life, which is me, due to some ridiculous con he tried to pull. And then for the whole movie he's basically trying to get me back and what happens with that and his run-ins with certain people. It's really funny but it has that really sweet element to it as well.

What's it like to co-star with your director?

You know it's great when it's Luke because he's just so relaxed. We shot in Texas where they're from - in Austin to be specific - and God, honestly it was just the most amount of fun I've had in such a short space of time. It's an independent film so we just had to cram everything in there and it was a great time and a great city. I loved being directed by and starring opposite Luke.

So what's next for you?

I just finished Trust The Man with Julianne Moore, directed by her husband Bart Freundlich. Maggie Gyllenhaal is in that too and David Duchovny and Billy Crudup. Then I'm leaving for Australia in a couple of weeks to do Ghost Rider with Nicolas Cage. That's totally different to anything I've ever done before.

Hitch is released in London's West End on 4th March and in UK cinemas nationwide on 11th March 2005.