The Pearl Harbor star admits he didn't do his homework before hitting the campaign trail and young voters who didn't share his politics made him feel "provincial and small".

The fervent Democrat tells Playboy magazine, "I was supposed to give a speech in Iowa, and I hadn't really done any research on Iowa. I spoke to a classroom full of kids who were raised by Republican parents, and I tried to explain why I was voting for Kerry.

"The kids' questions were very in tune with a side of life I just hadn't considered. It made me feel provincial and small that I hadn't considered thoroughly the other take in America.

"I had to take a step back from doing that to figure out, 'Do I actually know what I'm talking about?'"