Rosamund Pike thinks acting is like having a "recipe for life".
Rosamund Pike loves being an actress
The 45-year-old actress - who attended the National Youth Theatre in the UK - believes she has the "best job in the world".
The London-born star explained to OK! magazine: "It was like having a recipe for life, being an actor.
"You had lines, you could inhabit things, you could play, you could experience strong emotion.
"You could sort of understand the world better, understand other people better, share with other humans what it feels like to be human - it seemed like the best job in the world, but also the only job that I could do."
Despite this, Rosamund has insisted that her route to stardom hasn't been straightforward at all.
The acclaimed actress shared: "I started an office job and while I was doing that, I got a call one day and it was someone from the National Youth Theatre saying that Kate Winslet's younger sister had been cast as Juliet in 'Romeo and Juliet' and then she got a television role and she wasn't going to do it."
Rosamund now believes that it was a life-changing moment of good fortune for her.
And since that day, the actress has "never been frightened of being a substitute".
The 'Gone Girl' star - who studied at Oxford University before finding success in the movie business - said: "It was probably to this day the most exciting call of my life, actually. And I've never been frightened of being a substitute. I've never been vain about being a second choice.
"Who cares if someone else is first choice if you make it yours afterwards?"
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