WENN

Sandra Bullock felt "less than" when she first became a single parent, until she realized she was the "complete package".

The Ocean's 8 actress became a mother for the first time at the age of 46, when she adopted son Louis.

The process was finalized following her split from husband Jesse James, after he was accused of having numerous affairs. And when she realized she would be embarking on parenthood alone, it took some time for her to accept it.

"Society's hard," Sandra told Britain's The Independent newspaper. "Society still, as open-minded as we've become, has these rules that quietly say: "This is the way it goes.' They're saying: "It's a man and a woman, and then you have a baby, and that's the family.' I go: "Oh my god, I'm a single parent. With a child. How am I…' I felt less than. I felt: "I'm not the complete package.' And then I realized… this is the complete package."

Sandra went on to adopt daughter Laila in 2015 – the same year she started dating photographer Bryan Randall.

And while her life hasn't panned out the way she thought it would when she was 17, the Oscar winner knows that everything she has gone through has happened for a reason.

"My life went the way it went because it was supposed to be that way," she smiled. "Sometimes you have to open up your mind and wait. I can say that, because I see the bigger picture, but when you're in it, you're like: "When is my family coming?' I was there. I know what that feels like. And at some point you almost let go of the idea, and when you do, all of a sudden the universe goes: "Oh, you finally let go? Here you go. This is it.'

"And you go: "Oh my god, that's more beautiful than anything I ever imagined.'"