EXCLUSIVE: Annette Bening Says She 'Always Wanted to Be a Mom' Before She Dreamed of Pursuing Acting

Annette Bening was destined for motherhood.

ET's Courtney Tezeno caught up with the mother of four at the junket for her new movie, 20th Century Women, on Thursday, where she revealed that she knew she wanted to be a mom before she dreamed of being an actress.

RELATED: Warren Beatty and Annette Bening Talk Their 24-Year Marriage, Plus He Opens Up About His Bachelor Days

"I always wanted to be a mom," Bening gushed. "That came before acting, that came before I knew anything."

"I was the youngest of four," she explained, adding that her motherly instincts came early. "I remember wanting my mom to have another baby and she said, 'No I'm not going to have any more.' So I don't know if that was the connection. I wanted a sibling, then very quickly [afterwards] I wanted to be a mommy. I was the little kid in the neighborhood that played with the little tinies. So I always wanted that."

Bening, who shares two daughters (16-year-old Ella and 19-year-old Isabel) and two sons (24-year-old Stephen and 22-year-old Benjamin) with husband Warren Beatty, also opened up about the qualities she hopes her children learn as they grow into adults.

"Ideally, I guess, it’s what we would want of any human being: that sort of openness and a kind of recognition of our own vulnerability," she said. "I mean, intelligence, a certain passion about life, gratitude about the gifts that come with life. Being able to tolerate all the disappointments that we all have."

RELATED: Warren Beatty Calls Marriage to Annette Bening ‘The Best Thing That Has Ever Occurred’

With parents like Bening and Beatty, we're sure their kids will grow up just fine.

ET caught up with the Hollywood couple just last week, where Beatty couldn't help but gush about his lady love.

"Talent, beauty, wit, humility… grace," he said of Bening. "What I don't get to say, and I don't like to say it in front of her, but she is the best actress alive."

20th Century Women hits theaters on Dec. 25.  

See more from ET's interview with Beatty and Bening in the video below.

EXCLUSIVE: Warren Beatty Sweetly Gushes Over Wife Annette Bening: 'She Is the Best Actress Alive'

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