Geena Davis Is 'Grateful' She Waited Until Her 40s to Have Kids and Be a 'More Evolved' Mom

(L-R) Reza Jarrahy, Alizeh Keshvar Davis Jarrahy, Kian William Jarrahy, Geena Davis and Kaiis Steven Jarrahy attend the UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital's Kaleidoscope 5 at 3LABS on May 06, 2017 in Culver City, California.
(L-R) Reza Jarrahy, Alizeh Keshvar Davis Jarrahy, Kian William Jarrahy, Geena Davis and Kaiis Steven Jarrahy attend the UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital's Kaleidoscope 5 at 3LABS on May 06, 2017 in Culver City, California.
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Geena Davis took an intentional approach to starting her family.

Speaking on ITV's Loose Women daytime talk show, the actress and mom of three shared that she's "really grateful" that she waited until her 40s to have her kids.

The comment came amid a conversation about empowering kids, during which Davis said she believed empowerment was "about modeling," citing her own experience growing up with traits her parents emulated.

"I wanted to wait, [and] was hoping that I could still have kids. But I thought, 'I'll be more evolved the longer I wait.'"

Davis admitted, "I didn't have a lot of self-esteem but I was really determined that my children would have self-esteem."

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HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 06: Geena Davis attends Cinespia's screening of 'A League of Their Own' held at Hollywood Forever on August 06, 2022 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kelly Lee Barrett/Getty Images)
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 06: Geena Davis attends Cinespia's screening of 'A League of Their Own' held at Hollywood Forever on August 06, 2022 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kelly Lee Barrett/Getty Images)

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RELATED: Geena Davis and Ex Reza Jarrahy Finalize Divorce, Agree to Change 17-Year-Old Twins' Last Names

The A League of Their Own star shares daughter Alizeh, 20, and 18-year-old twin sons Kaiis, and Kian, with her ex-husband Reza Jarrahy.

She echoed her recent comments in a 2020 interview with The Guardian, where she expressed feeling "lucky that I had my kids late."

"Because I just feel like I changed so much," she explained. "I always knew I wanted kids, but what I was doing waiting that long, I don't know. I never tried before, in other words. But it's been great."

Geena Davis attends the 2021 Bentonville Film Festival opening night red carpet and filmmaker reception on August 04, 2021
Geena Davis attends the 2021 Bentonville Film Festival opening night red carpet and filmmaker reception on August 04, 2021

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Speaking with PEOPLE in 2020, Davis shared how being a mom led her to action when it came to disproportionate female representation in film and television.

"From when they were little, I've always watched movies and TV with them and I would often lean over to say, 'There's only boys in that scene. Why do you think that is?'" Davis told PEOPLE at the time. "I was bothered by the idea that we were showing kids a very imbalanced world from the beginning…I saw that there were so far fewer female characters than male characters."

Her desire to investigate the phenomenon led her to found the Geena Davis Institute on Gender In Media in 2004. Over the ensuing years, the institute has become a powerful voice in compiling and delivering data documenting the gender imbalance to film studios, television networks and content creators — beginning with a focus on children's entertainment.