Halle Berry made her directional debut to inspire her kids

Halle Berry made her directional debut to make her kids "proud".

The 55-year-old Hollywood star has helmed the sports drama flick, 'Bruised', where she also plays disgraced MMA fighter, Jackie Justice, who decides to return for an unsanctioned bout.

And the mother-of-two - who has Nahla, 13, and Maceo, eight, from previous relationships - has explained that she was inspired to step behind the camera by her two young children, who have "changed my game since the minute they got here."

Halle insisted she has to "keep going", and by stepping outside of her comfort zone, she is able to "keep discovering more facets" of herself.

The 'Catwoman' star explained: "There's nothing I wouldn't do for my children, and what I think Jackie Justice learned is that we will go really far for our children.

"There's things that I do that I would never do for myself, but I do for my children and that's how motherhood has changed me.

"And having my children now is the reason I'm even directing because I have to keep going.

"I have to keep discovering more facets of who I am.

"I have to keep trying to make them proud. I have to keep modelling for them someone who's alive and very involved in their career and as a woman, as a Black woman.

"I need to model for them what that looks like, so they've changed my game since the minute they got here."

Halle - who worked on the soundtrack for the film with her musician partner Van Hunt - added how she instantly related to the characters.

She said: "When I read this script it just grabbed me. I intrinsically understood all the characters, I understood their brokenness, I understand what it is to fight for second chances, last chances.

"I understand what it is to be a mother and try to be a working mom and how hard that can be.

"There's just so many elements to this movie that I just connected to and I couldn’t let it go once I read the screenplay."

And her own love of MMA fighting made her jump at the chance to tell the story.

She added to 'Entertainment Tonight': "I just couldn’t let this go and I had a great love of MMA at the time when the script came my way.

"I'd grown up being a huge fan of boxing.

"I always loved a good fight film. I love that quality of people finding redemption and forgiveness and rising above all the odds. I always feel good when I see moves like this."