Jack O’Connell thinks being "working-class" drove him to become an actor.
The ‘Unbroken’ star – who was directed by Angelina Jolie in the movie – has revealed that the "arduous adversities" he faced when he was younger gave him the "drive" to help him reach Hollywood.
He said: "Listen, I don’t think this job is easy for anyone but I don’t envy the people who it maybe has been easier for. I’m very grateful for all the arduous adversities that were in my path because that gives you a drive.
"I had a sense of belief and that had nothing to do with my social background. Maybe it had more to do with the naivety that was to do with me being a bit working-class."
The 24-year-old actor – who hails from Alvaston, Derby, England – will be seen next alongside Dame Judi Dench in ‘Tulip Fever’ before joining Julia Roberts and George Clooney to start filming ‘Money Monster’.
Speaking of his first meeting with the 53-year-old Hollywood star, he said: "He charmed me. That’s the only word. I was charmed immediately.
"He is charming and interested in you and I just want to take him to a Derby FC game now.
"I’ll need to see if he can say ‘ay up me duck’ better than Angelina now."
Meanwhile, Jack is hoping to use his experiences to help young people from similar backgrounds try out acting.
He added to The Sun newspaper: "We are in positions of influence as actors, if we’re renowned like that, and I’m definitely interested in setting up something that helps people like myself.
"It’s therapeutic, acting – it was for me. It doesn’t have to be a career."
Jack O’Connell: Being working-class drove me to act
