Eva Mendes has been a target of the paparazzi for years, but she won’t let it control her life.

The actress knows fan perceptions are often shaped by what they read and hear - and those articles can be hurtful.  Like one especially harsh piece she read about actress Nicole Kidman; where the writer claimed her star had tarnished. Mendes says that is only one opinion and a bad one at that.

Click onto video for Eva Mendes defending the honor and talent of Nicole Kidman.

Mendes currently stars opposite Nicolas Cage in the crime drama Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans opening this Friday.