Jessica Alba Revealed What Made Her Stop Caring About Acting At The "Top" Of Her Career

    "I couldn't go back to what I was doing before and be authentic."

    Back in 2008, Jessica Alba was at the top of her career when she decided she wanted to take a step back from acting.

    Jessica smiles at a red carpet event

    The break coincided with the birth of her oldest daughter Honor, but Jessica has revealed that the decision was about more than that.

    "My motivation was not like, ‘Am I ever going to get hired again?’ Frankly, I was at the top of my career," Jessica recently told Romper.

    Jessica and her husband pose together at an event early in their relationship

    Instead, it had do with how motherhood made her think about the health and wellness of her family, which "felt so real when I became a mom for the first time.”

    "My mother had cancer at a really young age, in her early 20s. I grew up with chronic illness. I had five surgeries before I was 11 years old. I had chronic allergies, and I was hospitalized a lot as a child," Jessica explained.

    She continued, "I had this real moment of, I want to live, and thrive, and spend as much time with this little person that I'm bringing into the world as possible and stay. So, my health matters. I want this little person to be healthy."

    Jessica poses with her husband and three children

    “I couldn't go back to what I was doing before and be authentic. I just couldn't. I didn't care about it the same way. It was something bigger. I felt like if I was going to have this platform, then what can I do with it that could be meaningful and make a difference?" Jessica noted.

    That "something bigger" eventually turned into the Honest Company, which aims to provide affordable, eco-friendly family fare from baby products to beauty.

    Jessica smiles next to The Honest Company logo

    Jessica added that creating the company was an arduous process and made her question her choice along the way.

    Jessica poses next to a line of Honest Beauty products

    And although it hasn't been an easy path, it sounds like it was completely worth it!