“I didn’t have a lot of self-esteem [earlier in life] but I was really determined that my children would have self-esteem,” she added.

Davis also discussed the impact of her friendship with her Thelma & Louise co-star Susan Sarandon, revealing that meeting the actress “totally changed [her] life”, encouraging her to “live authentically and be in the moment.”

“Somehow in my sheltered life, I had never spent time with a woman who says what she thinks without qualifiers in front of it,” she explained. “I was used to living as somebody who says, ‘I don’t know if you agree with this or if this is a good idea’. I was busy dying of politeness.

“As soon as I met Susan, oh my God. This was a whole different world. And it wasn’t that anyone reacted differently to her. Everyone loved her and everything… She showed me what it’s like to live authentically and be in the moment.”

As well as Thelma & Louise, Davis, a two-time Oscar winner, is known for her roles in films like Beetlejuice, The Accidental Tourist and A League of Their Own. In 2007, she launched the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, which researches representation in film and TV and advocates for a more gender-balanced and inclusive industry.

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