Adam Driver found it tough adjusting to normal life after serving in the Marine Corps and used to make his fellow students at Julliard cry with his no-nonsense attitude.
The 'Girls' star decided to give his childhood acting dream a second chance when he was medically discharged from the Marines after a mountain-biking accident and was thrilled when he was accepted to the elite New York City performing arts school.
But his strict military experience meant he found it hard readjusting to normal life and had trouble communicating with his peers.
He told the summer 2014 edition of WWD's M magazine: "I made people in my school cry because it was just the way I was used to talking to people. I felt like I wanted to do it! Really hard! Whatever it was! And I needed to calm down a little bit.
"In the Marine Corps, everything had a purpose... And then you're thrown into civilian life and suddenly that structure isn't there. And people are doing crazy s**t, like wearing clothes untucked, and you're just like, 'Look at these people who have no meaning to anything!' And that's a hard transition."
The 30-year-old star initially auditioned for Julliard as a high school senior and believes his newfound confidence from the Marines secured his a spot the second time around.
He explained: "When you get out of the Marine Corps, you feel like you can do anything. That was part of why I went to re-audition for Juilliard. I thought, 'Worse comes to worst, I know how to live. I'll live in Central Park or something. I'll survive.
"You feel like all civilian problems are meaningless and small, which is a complete illusion, but you have this confidence. You've been torn down so much - physically, emotionally, verbally - you feel like you're indestructible."
Adam's gamble has paid off since he has landed one of the most coveted film roles in the world, playing the villain in J.J. Abrams' 'Star Wars: Episode VII'.
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