Sandra Bullock Details 'Dark' Moments During Foster Care Journey: 'I Can't Do This'

Sandra Bullock opens up on a new episode of Red Table Talk about the moment her parenting capabilities were questioned before adopting her children

Sandra Bullock is reflecting on her "incredibly hard" experience with adoption and the foster care system.

The actress, 57, appeared on Wednesday's episode of Red Table Talk alongside Willow Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith and her mother, Adrienne Banfield-Norris, and opened up about the "dark" process she had to go through before welcoming her children Louis, 11, and Laila, 8.

"It's a system that exists and people don't know about it because it's a difficult thing to talk about. It gets deep and it gets dark," she shared of the foster care system. "When I first went through the process myself, you have to prove that you are a capable parent. You're in the judgement cage. I got halfway through it and I said, I can't do this."

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Bullock continued, "It was an out-of-body experience in that they literally sit down and they ask you, so what do you think is the worst kind of abuse? What is the worst kind of drug, or alcohol? I go, I don't know, they're all bad. You're just going, if I don't answer this right, I'm not fit."

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Though Bullock said the process made her "feel really scared" and question if she was "enough," she hopes her children, specifically Laila — whom she revealed was in three different foster care placements by 2½ — can "show what exists within that system."

The Unforgivable star then urged those who are considering adoption to go through with it.

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Dave Benett/WireImage.

"There is always, always a soul out there that needs you to be their parent," Bullock shared on the show. "You're put through the ringer. They ask a lot of questions. I had to have people write letters about my character, like oh my God."

"But the soul that you are supposed to parent is out there and it's ready for you. You just have to be willing to go through the gamut that feels very violating, that feels very invasive, that feels it's questioning your ability to be a good and loving parent, and be okay with that," she continued. "Because that soul deserves to have those questions asked and when they find it and connect you with it, you'll understand."

New episodes of Red Table Talk air Wednesday at 9 a.m. PT / 12 p.m. ET on Facebook Watch.

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