Meg Ryan always wanted to be a journalist.
The 52-year-old actress had a passion for writing as a teenager and only turned to acting as a way of paying her way through college.
She said: "My main aim, at 18, was to become a journalist. I only started acting – in commercials – to pay my way through college in New York."
The ‘Sleepless in Seattle’ star was "intimidated" by everyone around her when she started working and struggled to "understand" her co-stars.
She explained to The Sun newspaper: "I was 19 when I was in my first film, ‘Rich And Famous’. I played Candice Bergen’s daughter and only had about ten lines, which I would repeat constantly every night.
"When I travelled to Los Angeles, it was the first time I had ever been on a plane. I was intimidated by everyone in those days. If you ever see the film, you will see me shaking in every scene. I did not understand actors. It was overwhelming."
Despite her successful career, Meg – who has 21-year-old son Jack with ex-husband Dennis Quaid – admits she isn’t always comfortable with fame and still struggles with rejection.
She said: "I’ve always had mixed feelings about fame. It means that you live out your worst moments in the public eye.
"I also learned that however successful you might be, you are always going to miss out on something.
"I took it badly whenever I got turned down for a role. Things either did not get sent to me or went to others first. Acting is like any other business — you are judged with such abandon."
Meg Ryan’s journalistic ambition
