Halle Berry speaks candidly about her role as a mom-of-two in real life

Halle Berry gets candid about her role as a mom to daughter Nahla Ariela, 16, and son Maceo-Robert, 10.

Speaking at a roundtable event for her new movie Never Let Go in New York City on September 17, the X-Men actress said, “In real life, I am pretty mama bear, but I don't think I'm too mama bear, because I really, really, really understand that I'm just the vessel to bring these kids here,” via PEOPLE.

The Oscar-winning actress continued, “I don't expect my children to be clones of me, do what I do. I don't expect to really influence who they become.”

“My job is to just hold space for them and nurture them, feed them, take care of them, provide them different opportunities, but then they have to decide for themselves,” stated the 58-year-old.

However, while playing the mother character in the movie, Halle revealed, “I am pretty protective. I fight for them. If something needs to be fought for them, I'm going to do it.”

“But I also can't wait until they grow up and have their own life and I can't wait to see who they'll become and what they'll do,” she pointed out.

Halle explained, “And even if it's not what I want them to do — I don't even know. I just want them to be them. There's no spin on it.”

“Anything they do will make me proud as long as they do it. I don't want them to stay home and stay stuck to me. I don't want them to depend on me,” she noted.

Halle further said, “I hope I'm infusing them with enough gumption and giving them enough tools to out into the world and make their own way. Whatever that is, I'm going to be proud.”

Meanwhile, Halle added, “Part of being a mom doesn't mean that I'm just a mom, that that defines me. I'm still an artist. I'm still a woman. I still have aspirations outside of being a mother. And so I love that they know that I'm me.”