Brenda Song is opening up about her motherhood journey.
In a new cover story for Bustle, the former Disney star, 36, got candid about how welcoming sons Dakota, 3, and Carson, 2, with fiancé Macaulay Culkin, 44, made her “question a lot,” including ageism in Hollywood and how to juggle being a mom while working.
“I had two pregnancies in the same calendar year. It was a lot,” Song shared in an interview published Tuesday. “Once I stepped into motherhood, it made me question a lot: my place in this industry, my place as a woman, ageism in this industry, society’s pressures of what beauty is, what being young is.”
The “Suite Life of Zack and Cody” alum said that becoming a mom also brought up emotions about things she “never questioned before,” like if acting was still in the cards for her.
“My priority is my children, so I can’t just uproot my life and go live in Bulgaria for nine months to shoot a movie,” she continued. “I was like, ‘Does acting still fit in my life?’”
Admitting that Culkin told her she was “insane” for thinking it was curtains for her career after the arrival of their little ones, Song, who is set to star in Netflix’s new comedy series “Running Point,” declared that “family life is the most important thing.”
Taylor Hill via Getty Images
“But I’ve always said to be the best parent, the best partner, I have to be the best me. And a huge part of that is work. I have to be able to honor that,” Song added.
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In February 2022, Song also kept it real on juggling motherhood and her acting career, telling E! News that she initially “never thought” she could put her career “in the backseat.”
“I never thought that I could really put my career in the backseat,” Song told the outlet at the time. “But, at the end of the day, if I had to stop doing what I’m doing to be a better mom, I would do it without blinking an eye because my son is the most important thing and I just want to be the best mom for him.”
The “Last Showgirl” star also echoed how becoming a parent affected her career choices, adding, “Because now I really think about where things are being shot, how long they’re being shot for because everything revolves around my son.”