Kaley Cuoco says turning 40 gave her one big advantage in life and parenting

• Kaley Cuoco says turning 40 has made her more empathetic and less judgmental.
• "I feel like my heart got 10 times bigger the older I got," the "Big Bang Theory" actor said.
• She added that having more life experience has helped her be a better mother.

Kaley Cuoco says that aging has changed the way she shows up as a mom.

"It's funny — turning 40, it's a weird thing," Cuoco told Good Housekeeping in an interview published on Saturday. "I remember when I turned 30, and I had all these thoughts about life. And then you turn 40, you're like, 'Oh my God, life is so different now.'"

The "Big Bang Theory" actor, who turned 40 in November, said that growing older has made her more considerate toward others.

"When we're 20 or 30, we judge everything right? So, I think turning 40 has made me so much less judgmental and empathetic, which helps me as a mom who had a kid a little bit later in life. I feel like my heart got 10 times bigger the older I got," she said.

Cuoco has a daughter with her fiancé, "Ozark" actor Tom Pelphrey.

She said living through different stages of life also deepened her understanding of what other people experience, adding that she continues to learn as she goes.

"I'm so grateful for where I am today," Cuoco said. "It's very cheesy and corny, but it's true — you don't know until you've lived it. You see things differently, and you understand people in a way you can't when you're 20 or 30."

In a November 2023 interview with Today, Cuoco said she has become more conscious about her health since becoming a mother, even though exercising doesn't always feel easy.

"But then I remind myself that it's just an hour of my day, and like eating, it's important for my body and my heart," Cuoco said. "And you never leave a workout and go, 'I wish I didn't do that.' Even if it wasn't the workout you envisioned, even if it was a little bit more low-key. Getting a good sweat sets the whole tone for the day."

Cuoco isn't the only Hollywood star who has spoken about how aging has reshaped their perspective on life.

In early December, Jodie Foster said her 50s felt hard as she struggled to measure up to her younger self, but turning 60 changed her outlook.

"I turned 60," Foster told AARP, "and it was like a light bulb went off in my head. Everything changed. I was like, 'Yeah, I don't care. I'm no longer tortured by any of this. I don't know why I seemed to care so much.'"

Last week, Kate Winslet told Newsweek that turning 50 reshaped her definition of success and self-worth.

"Success, actually, for me more these days is more about pulling it off, being a decent person. You know, being able to take care of people, having time for friends, also learning how to be OK with not being busy all the time," Winslet said.