Meryl Streep thought she was "too ugly" to be an actress.
The 'August: Osage County' star accepted an honorary doctoral degree from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana on Wednesday and during a Q&A afterwards she admitted she once thought all actresses were vain.
The three-time Oscar winning actress, 64, said: "I was always in plays, but I thought it was vain to be an actress. Plus, I thought I was too ugly to be an actress. Glasses weren't fabulous then."
But Meryl also suggested that many of Hollywood's current young stars worry too much about how they look, according to IndianapolisMonthly.com.
She said: "For young women, I would say, don't worry so much about your weight. Girls spend way too much time thinking about that, and there are better things. For young men, and women, too, what makes you different or weird, that's your strength. Everyone tries to look a cookie-cutter kind of way and actually the people who look different are the ones who get picked up. I used to hate my nose. Now I don't. It's OK."
The 'Iron Lady' star decided to seek out more challenging roles as she got older and believes that has been the key to her success.
She said: "When I was 40, I was offered three witches in one summer. And I thought, 'OK, this is it. You turn 40, and oh my god.' The only reason I have a career at 64 is that I've had hits later in life. I've found that once certain movies are out, audiences aren't so age-phobic. They were willing, and they were happy."