(Cover) - EN Showbiz - Angelina Jolie says becoming a mother has helped her shed her "hard shell".

The actress raises six kids with her partner Brad Pitt, Maddox, nine, Pax, seven, Zahara, six, Shiloh, four and two-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne. Becoming a parent has changed her in more ways than she expected, with the star admitting her kids have brought out a whole different side to her.

Angelina likened herself to the character she voices in Kung Fu Panda 2, Tigress. "I like her, I have her weakness too," she explained. "She's tough but sometimes she doesn't know how to be soft, and my kids have certainly helped with that too. To get me a little softer, because I have a little bit of a hard shell sometimes."

Angelina was speaking at the premiere of the animated movie, which was held at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. The movie sees Jack Black once again lend his vocals to the character of panda Po, who comes to learn martial arts. She thinks the film, and its originality, sends out a great message to kids about acceptance and not pretending to be someone you're not.

"One is about inner peace and figuring out who you are and coming to terms with that, and there is a message about what family is and how a family is made," she shared. "Today more than ever we really understand that family comes in all different ways, two mothers, two fathers, single parents, different races, some are adopted and so family is where the love is. Family is where you find loyalty and friendship."

Angelina loves the movies because she can share them with her kids. She explained the process isn't like shooting for regular films, and she likes to share it with her whole family.

"It's the cushiest job in the world," she laughed. "You can bring your kids, you can go in your pyjamas, [director] Jennifer [Yuh]'s really good about whatever you want to order for lunch, so you end up ordering pizza with your kids, snacking - it's great." (C) Cover Media