Oscar winner Halle Berry hasn't always lived La Dolce Vita . When the actress went broke at 21, her mom refused to send her money, so she lived in a homeless shelter, Berry, 40, tells the April issue of Reader's Digest.

"But a girl had to do what a girl had to do. You can do that when you're 21 and ambitious and your eyes are this big and you don't want to go home," she tells the mag. "I became a person who knows that I will always make my own way."

Here's a peek at what Halle had to say about having children, undergoing plastic surgery, and domestic violence.

On being cut off by her mother:
"When I moved to Chicago, she drove me there, but I don't think she ever thought it would pan out. After a month or two, I ran out of money and called her. I said, Mom, I hate to ask you this, but could you send me some money? I just have rent money; I can't eat this week. And she said no.She said, "I'm not going to start this calling home asking Mom for money. No, figure it out or come home." I was so mad. I didn't speak to her for a year and a half."

On forgiving her mother:
"But I'm actually grateful she did that, because it taught me how to take care of myself and that I could live through any situation, even if it meant going to a shelter for a small stint, or living within my means, which were meager."

On dating violent men:
"Well, I haven't been a battered woman, contrary to what people have written about me. I'm so not a battered woman. Have I been in physical altercations with men? Absolutely. But the minute that happens they see the back of me. My mother was a battered woman. She was battered by my father."

On whether she's had plastic surgery:
"No, I haven't. But that's one thing I'll never say never about, because I don't know. I hope I will evolve as a person who realizes it's really not about my physical appearance and not be drawn to that seductive knife."

On whether she wants children:
"Oh yeah, I hope that happens. It's late; I've waited a little too long. But I want to have children. Absolutely."