Kevin Costner says he slept in a camper van parked next to a phone box during his pre-fame years in an attempt to break into acting.
The Field Of Dreams actor told US magazine People he felt “lost” at the end of his time at Cal State Fullerton college while studying marketing and suddenly gained the confidence to chase a career in acting.
He said: “The confidence came when I listened to my heart right at the very end of college where I thought, I’m not going to be worried about what people think anymore.
“There was no guarantee of success, but a huge weight came off my shoulders.
“I started going into Hollywood every day and I would park my little camper next to a phone booth and kind of sleep in a foetal position. I knew no-one.”
Costner, 69, said he followed his father’s motto of never letting another man “outwork him”, adding that his imagination “ran and ran and ran” when it came to making risky choices in his career.
Costner went on to win two Oscars for best picture and best director for 1990’s Dances With Wolves.
He also had huge box office success with The Bodyguard opposite Whitney Houston and Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves – and found new fans on the small screen in the Western series Yellowstone.
He said his decisions had allowed him to live an “unusual and for the most part, beautiful life”.
The star was also asked about his divorce from handbag designer Christine Baumgartner, 50, to which he replied that he had “so many things were in motion” at the time, referring to the filming of his latest movie, Horizon: An American Saga, which is set for release on June 28.
He added: “I had this money out there, these movies were committed, 300 or 400 people working on it.”
Costner said his seven children were the “anchor” of his life, despite adding he had become an “Uber guy” for them.
The California-born actor added: “My life is driving up and down the freeway just trying to get the children where they think they need to be, but that’s part of the job.”