Jessica Alba wants her children to have "leadership" roles in showbusiness

She told People: "The thing is, I think if you tell your kid anything, they're going to do the opposite, right. If they do want to be a performer, then being able to be a producer and a writer, or a director.

"I think having that leadership role is really important to the art and be part of the art in a way where they feel like they can have more autonomy and there's more dignity."

The 'Trigger Warning' got her big break when she was cast in the leading role of 'Dark Angel' in 2000 and felt a "desperation" in taking the job at the time, but noted that feeling stood her in good stead for the rest of her career.

She said: "You're just so happy to be there and it's like, 'Did the cheque clear? And there's a desperation like, 'Please God, I need this job.' It just puts you on your back foot. You're not always taking the roles that are the best."

The 'Honey' star has now served as an ex ecutive producer on a number of projects but wishes she had had that sort of skill set earlier on in her career.

She said: "You're just taking roles to survive, which teaches grit and perseverance, but I do wish I would've had the skill set and the wherewithal to write and to know about writing and directing and producing earlier in my career."