Jack Black briefly gave another career a shot before quickly realizing it wasn’t for him.
The 56-year-old actor and Paul Rudd, who star in the new comedy film Anaconda, interviewed each other in a video for Rotten Tomatoes, published Wednesday. During the conversation, Rudd asked his colleague if he ever had a job “to hold [himself] over” before making his big break as an actor.
“Oh my God, this is a shameful answer. I never had a job,” Black answered, before Rudd spat out his coffee in shock.
However, Black then clarified he did have one job for a brief moment.
“I did one day of telemarketing, and I didn’t make one sale. And I was like, ‘I can already tell my soul is being sucked.’ And I bailed,” he explained.
According to the School of Rock alum, it was after his day as a telemarketer that he ultimately decided acting was the career for him.
“It was like, ‘It’s showbiz or bust. I’m going all in on acting or music, and if I can’t do it, I’ll just live at my mom’s,’” he said. I know that just sounds…I had no idea. I had no plan B, no backup.”
However, Rudd supported his friend’s trajectory, responding, “You didn’t need it. You were destined for this.”
In Anaconda, Doug (Black) and his best friend, Griff (Rudd), are trying to remake the cult 1997 monster movie of the same name in which Jennifer Lopez and Ice Cube were terrorized by a giant snake.
However, venturing to the Amazonian jungle, the two best friends unfortunately encounter an actual, real-life 25-foot snake. To make his favorite movie, Doug also reunites with his childhood friends, Kenny (Steve Zahn) and Claire (Thandiwe Newton).
While the new Anaconda has been torn apart by critics, it’s estimated to gross at least $20 million in its opening weekend in the U.S. following its December 25 release. The film would then be expected to make a profit, considering its low budget of just $45 million.
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During a new interview with The Times, Black confessed that he pays attention to how his films perform at the box office.
“It’s such a streaming universe now. This is gross and I shouldn’t reveal it, but I like to go on to Box Office Mojo and see how well a film did at the weekend,” he said. “How are the numbers? It’s a f***ing fun game. It’s a competition. Who are we going up against? I think we are going up against some Oscar contenders.”