Geena Davis reveals why she’s ‘grateful’ she waited until her 40s to have children

‘I didn’t have a lot of self-esteem but I was really determined that my children would have self-esteem’

Geena Davis has explained why she’s extremely “grateful” that she didn’t become a mother until she reached her 40s.

The 66-year-old actor opened up about her experiences as a first-time parent while in her 40s during Wednesday’s episode of ITV’s Loose Women. Davis is a mother of three, as she shares 20-year-old daughter, Alizeh, and 18-year-old twins, Kaiis and Kian, with ex Reza Jarrahy.

During the interview, the Thelma & Louise star revealed how she empowers her children by “modelling” behaviours she hopes they learn, a strategy she obtained from her own parents. She then said that she hoped to have children later in life because of how “evolved” she planned to be.

“I’m really grateful that I had children in my 40s,” she said, via Daily Mail. “And I wanted to wait, hoping that I could still have children. But I thought: ‘I’ll be more evolved the longer I wait.’”

She then shared an additional reason she waited to become a mother, adding: “I didn’t have a lot of self-esteem but I was really determined that my children would have self-esteem.”

This is not the first time that Davis has opened up about becoming a parent later in life. During an interview with The Guardian in 2020, she recalled how she had her daughter when she was 46 and her twins when she was 48, before noting how “lucky” she was to have them at those ages.

“I always felt lucky that I had my kids late, because I just feel like I changed so much,” she said. “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. And twins are fun.”

During an interview with Good Housekeeping in 2006, Davis opened up about becoming pregnant in her 40s, explaining why she didn’t want to have a baby at any earlier than that.

“If I’d had kids earlier, I could easily have become one of those mothers who over involve themselves and try to live life through their kids,” the Beetlejuice star said. “I’m sure there are younger people who have figured things out long before I did, but in my case, I became a parent with exactly the right person, at exactly the right time.”