Jessica Alba on Growing Up in Survival Mode: "I Want a Better Life Than That"

Jessica Alba is getting honest about her past.

In a new interview, the actress and founder of The Honest Company spoke candidly about her childhood, saying that growing up with few resources made her want to have a successful career and life.

"I grew up in survival mode," she told Glamour UK. "It was almost sort of what I was born into. My parents didn’t have a safety net, they were living paycheck to paycheck. And so the mentality of 'tomorrow’s not guaranteed'... For me, I was like, 'I got to do everything I can to keep my head above water.'"

She continued, "I think because no one had any expectations that I would be successful, how could you fail? I wasn’t set up–no one was like, 'Oh my God, you’re going to be…' They were just like, 'Here’s your life.' And I was like, 'This is some bullshit. I want a better life than that. I don’t want to be in survival mode all the time.'"

Alba turned to acting when she was just 11 years old, noting that it was a way for her to fit into the world and "be somebody else."

Over her long career in Hollywood, she has been awarded numerous awards, including a Golden Globe, and dubbed one of the queens of the romantic comedy genre. Now 41, she is also a mother of three and entrepreneur.

The actress founded The Honest Company—a brand offering clean baby and beauty products, as well as cleaning supplies—after developing an allergic reaction to several haircare and styling products, she told The Cut.

Of starting her business, Alba told Glamour. "I approached it the way I approached Hollywood, which was that I just did it. You have to be relentless."

You Might Also Like

• A Cleaning Expert Explains the Best Way to Clean Cloth Face Masks After You Wear Them — Good Housekeeping

• 35 Delicious Pantry Recipes That Use What's Already in Your Cabinets and Freezer — Good Housekeeping

• The Amish keep to themselves. And they’re hiding a horrifying secret. — Cosmopolitan