The Gone Girl actress, 46, is to make her National Theatre debut in London in the play Inter Alia in September. The play is an examination of modern masculinity and motherhood from the mind of Prima Facie writer Suzie Miller.
"All through my 20s I was on stage a lot and it felt sort of natural and right, and now it's frightening," she told BBC's The One Show.
"I'm playing a judge in a play by Suzie Miller, who wrote Prima Facie. It's a very exciting project.
"It's also about a mother raising a son, and I have two sons, so that's very close to my heart.
"And it's really about the juggle of life, and when you've given your life over to the law, is the law enough when things start to get rough? So it's challenging and exciting."
Pike plays High Court judge Jessica Parks, who has "to reckon her professional life and role as wife, mother, friend and feminist".
The Golden Globe-winning actress also appeared on the show to speak about series three of epic fantasy show The Wheel Of Time.
"We're very proud of it. We're a very close cast. We've weathered a lot together, and this is definitely our most elaborate and complex (series).
"And I think it's the offering we're most proud of. It's the most ambitious, and it's beautiful."
National Theatre Live is set to broadcast Inter Alia live to cinemas around the UK on September 4.
The play is being staged between July 10 and September 13 at the Lyttelton Theatre on London's South Bank.
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