Alfre Woodard Says ‘the Only Job That Matters’ Is Being a Mom: ‘They Like Me as Well as Love Me’

She may be an Oscar-nominated actress, but Alfre Woodard considers her two kids — daughter Mavis, 28, and son Duncan, 26 — to be her proudest accomplishment. The Cross Creek star opened up about the relationship she shares with them at the 2019 Gotham Awards.

“I have been a good mother to Duncan and Mavis,” Alfre, 67, exclusively gushed with Closer Weekly at the star-studded event in New York City on Monday, December 2. “They like me as well as love me. They trust me and I trust them. That is the only job that matters.”

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As for how she prefers to experience the holidays with her family, the Luke Cage star knows exactly what to do. She said it’s all about leaving the hustle and bustle behind and connecting on a more personal level with her loved ones.

“We go to Jamaica all the time,” Alfre noted. “One thing we do is we always hunker down together for at least a week somewhere without a television, without any of that … so we actually spend time talking smack, playing games, lying around and just being together, talking.”

Alfre’s two children are the beautiful byproducts of her 36-year marriage to longtime husband Roderick Spencer. While there have been many ups for the couple, she isn’t afraid to talk about how they weathered their downs and emerged stronger than before.

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“Well, you work on it,” she replied when asked about the secret behind her lasting relationship with Roderick, 61. “You meet people where they are, you talk. You don’t throw people away, you solve things. You laugh a lot, you grow together and you leave nobody behind in the family.”

As for how she would describe this time in her life, Alfre explained that she doesn’t view it in stages as others might tend to do. “I think of my life as one endless, lovely day,” the Desperate Housewives star explained of her unique outlook. “It’s always joy and promise and purpose.”

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