Amy Adams says motherhood "opened her eyes".

Amy Adams

Amy Adams

The 'Arrival' star welcomed daughter Aviana into the world six years ago and admits she would have taken a completely different approach to playing a grieving mother in the science fiction film if she was childless.

She said: "It would have been a very different performance. I just have a different relationship with compassion since becoming a parent, and compassion for other people - not just my daughter.

"It opened up my eyes and got me outside of myself. I hate to think that I was so wrapped up in my own stuff before I had her but I was, so now I'm able to look at things from a different lens. It took me out of myself."

And her co-star Jeremy Renner - who has three-year-old Ava with his ex-wife Sonni Pacheco - agreed with Amy, admitting having a child "essentially personalises selflessness".

He told Sky News: "It personalises selflessness essentially. You're already built with compassion and empathy as a woman I think, but then you have your own child, it makes it very personal understanding that selflessness."

Meanwhile, the 42-year-old actress previously admitted her daughter - who she has with husband Darren Le Gallo - doesn't think she's very "rock 'n' roll".

She said: "She defines herself differently to me and I like that. She said, 'Mum, I'm more rock 'n' roll than you. You're not very rock 'n' roll.' And I said, 'You're right.' ...

"I don't know if I feel more powerful as an actress but I feel powerful as a mother and more powerful than I did in my 20s. I dont know what that means for my career - that's yet to be seen. But as a woman, if I lose something because of the honesty of who I am, then I don't care."