Jessica Alba wants her children to have "leadership" roles in showbusiness.

The 43-year-old actress - who has Honor, 16, Haven, 12, and si-year-old Hayes with husband Cash Warren - has been active in Hollywood for over 20 years and when asked if she wants her kids to follow in her footsteps, admitted that she would rather they stepped behind the camera.

She told People: "The thing is, I think if you tell your kid anything, they're going to do the opposite, right. If they do want to be a performer, then being able to be a producer and a writer, or a director.

"I think having that leadership role is really important to the art and be part of the art in a way where they feel like they can have more autonomy and there's more dignity."

The 'Trigger Warning' got her big break when she was cast in the leading role of 'Dark Angel' in 2000 and felt a "desperation" in taking the job at the time, but noted that feeling stood her in good stead for the rest of her career.

She said: "You're just so happy to be there and it's like, 'Did the cheque clear? And there's a desperation like, 'Please God, I need this job.' It just puts you on your back foot. You're not always taking the roles that are the best."

The 'Honey' star has now served as an executive producer on a number of projects but wishes she had had that sort of skill set earlier on in her career.

She said: "You're just taking roles to survive, which teaches grit and perseverance, but I do wish I would've had the skill set and the wherewithal to write and to know about writing and directing and producing earlier in my career."