Elizabeth Banks: Surrogacy Is a 'Big Leap' of Faith

"It's a big leap, inviting this person into your life to do this amazing, important thing for you," she explains. "And it's hard losing that kind of control. But our surrogate is so extraordinary, and she's still in our lives. She's like an auntie."

The future is looking bright for Elizabeth Banks.

Amidst her upcoming roles in Man On a Ledge, What to Expect When You’re Expecting and the highly-anticipated Hunger Games, the actress is also still finding her groove as a first-time mom to 9-month-old son Felix.

“I am the least looked-after I’ve been in quite some time,” Banks, 38, says in Lucky‘s February issue.

“Normally, for photo shoots, I get a full wax, some tanning, a facial. But this time I’ve done nothing.”

Instead, Banks prefers to spend any free time with her “little dude,” Felix — her and husband Max Handelman‘s blessing that arrived after unsuccessful attempts to become pregnant.

“Madly in love” after meeting their freshman year of college, Banks and Handelman eventually tied the knot and looked forward to a family.

But when their plan to have a baby hit a roadblock, the 30 Rock star and her husband turned to a gestational surrogate to fulfill their dream. “It was a womb issue for me. Embryos wouldn’t implant,” she admits.

And while the couple couldn’t be happier with the results, the initial decision to pursue surrogacy was anything but easy.

“It’s a big leap, inviting this person into your life to do this amazing, important thing for you,” Banks explains. “And it’s hard losing that kind of control. But our surrogate is so extraordinary, and she’s still in our lives. She’s like an auntie.”

With her hope to one day go from on screen to behind the scenes, Banks is also preparing herself for the time of her life with her “fierce and fearless” Felix.

“My plan is that when Felix is 15, we’ll go skydiving together,” she shares. “I want to be that mom. The one who takes her kid skydiving.”

— Anya Leon