Elizabeth Banks: Why I speak about surrogacy

Elizabeth Banks hopes to help other women by speaking about surrogacy.

The actress and her husband Max Handelman have three-year-old Felix and Magnus, two, who were born via the same surrogate mother.

She speaks openly about not giving birth herself, hoping that it will be inspiring to others in her position.

"When I think about my dreams, I think of my children," she told zeit.de. "I think about their future, not my own.

"Both of my children were born via surrogate. I speak about it because I believe it will help women who have trouble falling pregnant. They are not alone. And there are solutions.

"I also speak about it because it's a political issue: it's about having the freedom to choose. When you don't let women plan their lives or their families, their lives are no longer their own."

Elizabeth, 40, comes from a big family. Her mother and father have six and seven siblings respectively, while she grew up with three. It turned her into a family person and inspires her to make her children's childhoods as fulfilling as possible.

"My boys are little dreamers," she smiled. "It's fascinating seeing the world through their eyes.

"We have a wonderful garden, full of animals and plants. At the moment, there are hundreds of butterflies around. I often sit there with my two-year-old and watch them. There are so many, they land on you. It's a magical feeling. That's how a childhood should be: at one with nature and full of sunshine."