(MENAFN- IANS) Los Angeles, Oct 8 (IANS) Hollywood star Julia Roberts has ruled the screen for nearly four decades, but there was a time when she dealt with early struggles in her career.

She won an Oscar for her role of an environmental activist in 'Erin Brockovich', becoming such a beloved star that her 'After the Hunt' co-star Andrew Garfield calls her a“national treasure”, reports 'People' magazine.

But it wasn't always the case, we all have our humble beginnings afterall. She told 'People', "I don't think I entered into my career with much confidence. I encountered early on, not a lot but a few critical people who were really cruel, and it was a really interesting challenge for me to decide the kind of person I wanted to strive to be”.

She continued,“So it was so much more about who I wanted to be as opposed to what kind of career I wanted to have. And then I wanted to take the person that I wanted to build and put that person into these different situations of work life”.

As per 'People', she explained that it was "more bumps than smooth sailing" for her between ages 15 to 25.

She shared, "Of course, even then, I would have shreds of gratitude. I would think, 'Okay, there's a reason why it has to be so hard'. Now I look at it as some of the lessons that I'm the most grateful for because they proved my endurance to myself, Being insecure, it can be crippling. So if someone embarrassed me, it stopped me. I was apoplectic, so learning to navigate that, because this is not an industry to be in if you can't take criticism or harshness or being embarrassed”.

As a kid, she recalls staying up late one night to watch a trumpeter (she couldn't recall his name) perform for talk-show host Johnny Carson on 'The Tonight Show'.

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