Angelina Jolie Shares How Her Mother Influenced Her Parenting Style

The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree when it comes to Angelina Jolie‘s parenting style.

In a new interview for the current issue of Elle France, the By the Sea actress credits late mother, French-American actress Marcheline Bertrand, with influencing how she raises her six kids, whom she co-parents with ex-husband Brad Pitt.

“I know how much she would have contributed to their lives and I am sad they will miss out on that,” the longtime humanitarian revealed during the candid interview, before opening up about how she tries to be a source of inspiration and an example for her kids Maddox, 15, Pax, 13, Zahara, 12, Shiloh, 12, and twins Vivienne and Knox, 8.

Calling motherhood “the greatest gift and responsibility,” the Mr. and Mrs. Smith actress explained, “It means doing everything that you can to live by your values and try to be an example to your children.”

And admitting that she’s definitely had those “What Would Mom Do?” moments, Jolie continued, “I would give anything for [Bertrand] to be with me at this time. I’ve needed her. I talk to her often in my mind and try to think what she might say and how she might guide me.”

This is not the first time that the U.N. Ambassador has opened up about trying to emulate the late star, who raised Jolie and her older brother, James Haven, as a single mother and passed away in 2007 from breast cancer.

Speaking about her decision to join French beauty house Guerlain as the face of its fragrance just months ago, the 41-year-old revealed that the classic perfumerie was her mother’s favorite.

“It spoke to her, as it does to me, of beauty, history, and quality,” she said of her decision to pursue her first beauty campaign in a decade during an April interview with Marie Claire. “One of the oldest perfume houses in the world, from France, a country I love and feel connected to.”