JK Simmons admits one of the lowest points in his career "led to the best thing" in his life.
The 63-year-old actor quit as the understudy for the role of the Colonel in the Broadway version of ‘A Few Good Men’ after being overlooked for the main role, and he was subsequently cast as Captain Hook in a touring revival of ‘Peter Pan’ when he met his now-wife, actress Michelle Schumacher.
Simmons – who has a daughter called Olivia and a son called Joe with Michelle – recalled: "There was nobody on the planet, no other actor, that was more the right guy for that role at that production.
"It’s still to this day one of the five best parts I ever had that were the right marriage at the right time, right up there with ‘Whiplash’.
"I still get emotional about it; how could the universe be so unfair?"
But, ultimately, the decision proved to be a stroke of good fortune for the actor, who married Michelle in 1996.
He told the Guardian newspaper: "A pivotal moment, this devastating, horrible thing happened that led to the best thing in my life – that led to my life, my family.
"If the right thing had happened in that scenario, I wouldn’t have kids."
Meanwhile, Simmons also revealed his determination to take on challenging roles.
The Hollywood star admitted he’s eager to test himself and to push his talents to the limit.
He said: "Sometimes I need to make sure that I’m not just being chicken***t and shying away from something challenging.
"That’s part of the joy of what I do, that I don’t have to do the same thing over and over again. I don’t want to get in that rut of, ‘Oh, this is not a JK Simmons part because it’s not, like, right in my wheelhouse.’"
JK Simmons says career-low moment led to ‘the best thing’ in his life
