Sandra Bullock says son Louis helps influence her work.

The Oscar-winning actress - who adopted her little boy in January 2010 when he was just a baby - played a mother for the first time since becoming one in new movie 'Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close' and says it was a very different experience.

She said: "I've played moms before. I've always been very maternal. I've always loved being around kids. I'm sure Louis influenced me in ways I don't even know how. Everything becomes richer or more important or more frightening or more challenging. Everything becomes far more emotional, which I'm grateful for."

Sandra also says she found it hard to not try and protect the actor who plays her on-screen son, Thomas Horne.

She told E!: "Thomas Horne, who played my son, I love him so much. When you have maternal instincts towards a child the first thing you want to do is go to that child and just protect and take care of - and that was exactly what I was not gonna do. It was hard."