Billy Bob Thornton is ‘glad’ he didn’t become a star in his 20s

Billy Bob Thornton may be an acclaimed actor with decades of great work under his belt, but the Arkansas native still maintains a down-to-earth approach to fame.

When you look back on your completed career in a new interview with Fox NewsThornton admitted he’s glad his mainstream break didn’t come in his early years on screen.

“I’m glad I became famous or successful — whatever you want to call it — in my 30s,” Thornton said. “I think if it had happened when I was 18 or 21, who knows if I’d even be here now because I was a bit looser then.”

“I think if I had been nominated for one Academy Award when I was 21, who knows what I would have done with it?” he added.

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In the 1970s, in his teenage years and early 20s, Thornton played drums in a blues rock band called Tres Hombres; he even has a tattoo with his old band’s name on it. They released their only album, gunslinger, in 1983. In 1985 Thornton joined the South African rock band Jack Hammer and joined the group for their 1986 album A gypsy dead.

He then moved into the world of acting after spending more than a decade as a musician. His first role on screen was in the 1986s Hunter’s bloodbut it wasn’t until his directorial debut in 1996 Sling bladewhich won him an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and a nomination for Best Actor, making him a household name.

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Ultimately, this long road to widespread recognition ended up being a blessing in disguise, calling his time in the music industry “a big blast.”

“I’m kind of happy about it because I grew up in music businessso I was already familiar with being in the entertainment business, but not to that degree,” he concluded. “I think growing up as a musician helped prepare me for some of that because we could be local heroes, sometimes as musicians or regional . But this was a huge bang.”

New episodes of Thornton’s latest series, the Taylor Sheridan brain child Farmerstream every Sunday on Paramount+.