Charlotte Gainsbourg has strived to teach her children to always be kind and courteous

Charlotte says as a mother her main goal was to ensure her kids were good people before anything else.

When asked what values she has tried to impart on her family, she answered: "It may seem banal, but it is kindness, courtesy. Authentic kindness, not superficial, is fundamental because it means respect for others. In fact, I would say that it should become a global attitude."

Charlotte says the lessons she wanted to impart on her son and two daughters came from the things she learned from her own parents, her mother English actress-and-singer Jane Birkin and her father Jewish French musician Serge Gainsbourg.

In an interview with Italian publication IO Donna, she said: "That all comes from my parents and my childhood.

"People think I had an irreverent and cheeky father, when in reality dad was sensitive, open, had a very special charm that allowed him to be a little insolent at times, yet he was always very attentive to others.

"My mother shared his philosophy of life.

"In our house everything was very simple, no one was presumptuous, and my mum was very careful that we did not become girls full of airs - 'Now you are successful, maybe in a few years everything will be different' she would tell me. I was already aware of my lucky star, but I also knew that it was transitory, and this made me more modest."

Charlotte - who can be seen in new Amazon series 'Étoile', which has been created by 'Gilmore Girls' writers Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino - also gave an insight into her family life, revealing her home is full of laughter.

She said: "We laugh a lot in our family. I love people who laugh and know how to make people laugh. My father, then, was funny. He was a born showman and my first intuition of humour certainly came with him. My mother also amused me. She was beautiful and witty, you can see it in her first films. With two parents like that you can't help but enjoy comedy in life."