She’s one of the most acclaimed actresses of her generation, but Jodie Foster, who won her fifth Golden Globe Award on January 5 after 10 career nominations, says she’s recently felt a big change in her thinking about life, family and work. “Something happened the day I turned 60, and it all just came into place,” Jodie, 62, says. “If you pay attention, it’s a golden age. Something happens. It just feels like there’s a hormone that [is released] where suddenly you go, ‘Oh, I don’t really care about all the stupid things anymore. I’m not going to compete with myself. I’m excited about what’s left of my life, who I become and the wisdom that I can bring to the table.’”

In recent years, Jodie has accepted fewer acting jobs to spend more time with her family. She’s been married to Alexandra Hedison, a photographer and director, since 2014. She’s also mom to two adult sons, Kit Foster, 23, whom she calls “my scientist son,” and Charles Foster, 26, her “actor son.”

Jodie Foster’s Life Changed With Motherhood

Becoming a mom to the boys changed her life for the better. “The first gift that they gave me was being on all fours around the house, making parades with silly musical instruments and rediscovering the world through their eyes,” she says. “And I feel like that continues to today.”

While she’d like to advise her sons to “just relax” and not worry so much about the future, she realizes that it’s a point of view that only arrives with time and experience. “You have to be able to just let things happen and not continually try to control them like I did for the first 55 years of my life,” she says. “It won’t make any sense to them, but there will come a day where they’ll say, ‘Oh, I see.’”