London, Oct 31 : Actor Gerard Butler says he would have died if he wasn't an actor.

The 41-year-old was a troublemaker in his early twenties and claims the challenges of acting helped him to grow up.

"I'd gone from a 16-year-old-who couldn't wait to grasp life to a 22-year-old who didn't care if he died in his sleep," contactmusic. com quoted Butler as saying.

"If I hadn't found acting, it seems very easy to say that I'd be dead but yes I'd be dead. But to find that I could act, make a living out of it and challenge myself, tell stories, affect people... And to think that I can now have that impact on people is a beautiful thing," he added.(IANS)