Rose Byrne found Los Angeles "overwhelming" when she first moved there.
The ‘Bridesmaids’ star left her native Australia when she was in her early 20s to pursue a career in Hollywood and admits the city, which she now calls home, is a "strange place".
She said: "I went to Los Angeles when I was 18 or 19 and spent time out there. I went back and forth for about three years before I got a job in America. I definitely wasn’t an overnight success. And I didn’t take to it at first. In my own naive way I felt prepared for Los Angeles, but nothing can ever really prepare you for Los Angeles.
"It’s such a strange place. Even geographically it’s got such an odd layout. I enjoy it now, but when I was in my 20s it was overwhelming. I stayed out in Venice. These days I like the Eastside, Los Feliz. Really wherever they put me up. Wherever somebody pays the check."
And the 36-year-old actress – who has three-month-old son Rocco with her partner Bobby Cannavale – is "proud" to be a "no-nonsense Australian" like her parents.
She added: "As I started getting older, I began noticing [how I’m like my parents]. Luckily, I like my parents, so it’s cool. But it’s funny how it manifests itself.
"My parents are very no-nonsense Australians: They don’t like fanfare or fussiness. They’re incredibly self-sufficient and curious. I hope I’m like them in those ways. Australians are real wanderers; we’re well traveled because we’re so isolated. That’s something I’m proud of in being an Australian."
And Rose is glad her parents were so "encouraging" of her dreams when she was young.
She told the new issue of Playboy magazine: "They were very encouraging. They wanted me to go to college. I went to university in Sydney and got my degree. It was lucky that I was getting work from the start.
"I started taking acting classes when I was eight, so it was always part of my personality as a child, being a part of drama and acting. It wasn’t out of the blue that I started working once I was of age."
Rose Byrne: Los Angeles was ‘overwhelming’
