It sounds like they learned a valuable lesson. What is the most important thing you would like to teach your children?
COMPASSION. People are so cold and self-centered these days. I want to teach my children to care about other people. I think that’s the most important thing.

Really Garcelle, not only are you nice and compassionate, but you are simply stunning, and worked as a model before pursuing acting. How do you maintain your looks?
I really have just looked up to my mom. She believed in always making an effort. I mean, she was a mother of seven and always put on lipstick, even to go to the mailbox. It’s about constant upkeep – not plastic surgery or anything drastic, just regular maintenance. I do mini-facials at home, and of course workout and eat well. I also believe in exfoliating at least twice a week. My favorite products are Aquaphor moisturizer (it’s perfect for elbows, lips and under the eyes) and I use Bioelements and epicuren cleanser.

My favorite exercise is Pilates – and was long before it was popular! It elongates and tones without adding bulk, which keeps you really feminine. I also took this class called Cardio Barre, which kicked my butt! It is squats, lifts, lunges and push-ups at a ballet barre. It was really hard! And just when you thought you couldn’t take any more, you would find out that they were just getting started!

That sounds fun! And I love Pilates – we could spend the rest of the day talking about that! But what do you think about the media’s focus on how quickly new celeb moms regain their slim figures after pregnancy? How do you plan to shed the necessary pounds of pregnancy?
Well, I told you about the red carpet reporter already. You know, I went to brunch last month with a bunch of other pregnant women, like Bridget Moynahan and Isla Fischer. We were all talking, and Bridget said I looked great and asked me what I was doing to stay in shape. I told her just walking. And she said she had been in the gym every day of her pregnancy! I just think we have so much pressure on us that we forget to enjoy the process our bodies are going through. There will be plenty of time to workout later – don’t workout your abs now! There’s a baby in there. And it’s about being healthy when it’s time to lose the weight – NOT about getting back into those jeans.

You started in the business as a teenager and had a movie out this summer, I Know Who Killed Me, with troubled actress Lindsay Lohan. Having survived over 20 years in Hollywood yourself, do you have any advice for this next crop of actresses? If your children wanted to be actors, what advice would you give them?
“NO! Run the other way! It’s too hard!” You know, with these young actresses, the media is glorifying them and not giving kudos to the actors who are doing their job. They’re just so young and so impressionable. You know, Lindsay would hardly show up on set, and it’s just so frustrating! Here you are, you’ve paid your dues to get where you are, and it’s so hard to maintain your career, and then here comes this little girl who’s been given everything. It’s just such a shame. I know that Jane Fonda and Felicity Huffman felt the same way working with her – and I blame the parents! It goes back to what I said earlier about the twins having to earn things, and not being given everything that they want. We have to stop being friends with our kids, and not give them so many choices. We have to keep them from getting lost.