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Lived on groceries from neighbors
Beyond the bank robbery incident, the actor’s childhood was marked by poverty.
”As a kid, I was very poor. I mean, it’s all relative, but we would get groceries from neighbors,” the actor told The Guardian.
He has shared that, while he always had a roof over his head, he often slept on relatives’ couches and sometimes spent nights in shelters. His family relied on food stamps and government-provided health insurance.
”I realized at a young age that I was responsible for myself. My feelings of love or security or happiness – they were all in my own hands. I had plenty of difficult, emotional and scary times as a kid, but I don’t dwell on it,” said the star.
“Growing up the way I did, I had a very serious ambition to make some money, to have some security and comfort in my life”.
And he certainly went on to make that money — today, his net worth is estimated at $75 million. But it all started with just $100.
As a child, the actor dreamed of becoming a chef and even planned to take a home economics class in sixth grade. That’s when his mom stepped in with an irresistible offer: $100 to take a drama class instead. He said yes — and that single decision set him on the road to acting.
”A hundred bucks was a lot to me then, and to my mother. I never paid her back directly for that, but I’ve helped her out a little bit,” the actor told Tampa Bay Times in 2000.
Dropped out of high school
By his freshman year of high school, the constant moves and instability had taken their toll, and he dropped out. Instead of returning to the classroom, he threw himself completely into acting, turning that one childhood drama class into the launchpad for a Hollywood career.