Brad Pitt got into acting because of 'Saturday Night Fever'.

The 'Moneyball' actor - who is renowned for serious roles in movies including 'The Tree of Life' and 'Mr & Mrs Smith' - was inspired by the 1977 music-based romance movie starring John Travolta because it taught him about life outside of his home-state of Oklahoma.

He said: "Strangely enough, I loved 'Saturday Night Fever'. I loved it. But it wasn't, you know, the bad suits and the dancing, although I can do the hustle. It was the idea of people, well, I didn't know people could live like that. This idea of a different culture.

"I'd seen only my corner of the world which was Oklahoma and Missouri, so it's the idea that there are complete other ways to attack life out there."

However, it took him a while to realise it meant he could try and have a career in film.

He added to Total Film magazine: "A week before I was supposed to graduate from college, everyone had applied and were receiving jobs. I hadn't applied anywhere. I didn't have a clue, nor did I have any interest at the point of going anywhere.

"Then it occurred to me I'd always thought, 'I wish I'd grown up in New York or Los Angeles because there's the opportunity to go into films.' And then it just truck me one night that, well, I can just do it. So within a week I'd decided I was going to go to Los Angeles."