Eiza González didn't cry for 'four or five years' after father died

Eiza González has recalled how she didn't cry for "four or five years" after her father's tragic death.

During an interview for the Podcrushed podcast on Wednesday, the Mexican actress told co-host Penn Badgley about how she struggled to process her emotions after her dad Carlos González passed away following a motorcycle accident "exactly 10 days" after her 12th birthday.

"My dad was a really good man. He cared about people so much. And I just couldn't connect, the unfairness of him dying. I just was like, '(Of) all the f**king s**tty people in the world, him?'" she said, going on to describe how she grappled with her family's Christian faith at the time. "It made me not believe in anything bigger... I lost faith completely. And I had a real hard realisation of my dynamic with my father. I wasn't able to cry for four years. Four or five years - I didn't cry at all. I was just in complete and utter denial. And, simultaneously, I started my career, and I needed to cry a lot for work."

Eiza began performing as a child and rose to prominence after starring in the 2007 Cinderella retelling Lola, Once Upon a Time and the 2010 Argentine Nickelodeon sitcom Dream About Me.

After relocating to the U.S., the star landed roles in movies like 2017's Baby Driver and 2022's Ambulance.

"Something died in me, and I just completely removed myself from my father. Like, I just couldn't. It was so unbearable that I just sort of walked away," the 35-year-old recalled of her experience of grief. "It was a really tough time. I dove into work. I was in survival mode constantly."

However, Eiza insisted she has since been able to move forward in recent years with the guidance of a therapist.

"I think humans go through the hardest times and most vulnerable times of their lives. Like, life design is so fascinating to me. I think children live the hardest things," she added.

Eiza is currently promoting the sci-fi thriller Ash, which is now showing in U.S. cinemas.