Hot Moms Club sat down with beautiful actress Garcelle Beauvais on screen she plays a beautiful sophisticated women, off-screen she’s a down to earth and hands-on mom who prefers sweats and slippers to strapless dresses and heels…

Garcelle with sons Jaid (left) and Jax

The best compliment I’ve received recently… the other day at the park, someone told me, “Gosh, I see you here all the time.” That made me feel so good, because that’s who I want to be—a hands-on mom. I really pride myself in being present. I’m very involved with my children [Oliver, 19; Jax and Jaid, age 2], and I put so much time, effort, and love into them. My kids are more important to me than my career.

Raising twins…isn’t always easy. They often want to be held at the same time, so while I’m holding one, the other is tugging on me to pick him up. Nighttime feedings with twins…can also be pretty challenging. I’d have both of them up and I would just look at my husband and be like, “There’s a poopy diaper and there’s a feeding. Who do you want?”

One time at the park…I had one in the swing and the other took off. I had to figure out what to do fast!

In my free time…I love to read to my children and work on my mom-and-kids jewelry line, Petit Bijou.

I am the way I am…because of my mom. She said, “Be nice. Be nice. Be nice”—to a fault. When I moved to New York, I had to find the balance between what my mom had ingrained in my mind and being a strong, independent woman. I’ve found you can be assertive and at the same time be a kind person.

Since my mom passed away…I feel the need to be more connected to my roots in Haiti and make sure my kids know my culture. Along with Wyclef Jean, I am the face of Haiti. We let people know what a beautiful country it is—with resilient, prideful people. The earthquake in Haiti reminds all of us how blessed we are and how appreciative we should be of the things we have and the people we love, because tomorrow is not promised.

By: Tania Luviano

Photo by: Lisa Franchot