Jeremy Piven explains why he feels 'lucky' that fame came later in life for him

Jeremy Piven feels "lucky" that he was never a child star.

The 58-year-old actor started working as a teenager but didn't receive his big break until he was cast as Ari Gold in 'Entourage' in the early 2000s and thinks that things can be "confusing" for performers if they find worldwide fame too young.

He told Maxim Australia: "You know, it's funny, I won the Fresh Face of the Year award at 37 years old. It's one of those things where it happened for me a little bit later on, and I was lucky enough to kind of not be a kid.

"I think when kids are famous, it's very confusing. So, I had been grinding for a while. You also have to understand it was also a different time there really wasn't social media. So, I don't think I was as aware then as I would be now.

The former 'Ellen' star added that there are definitely "certain perks" to being well-known like being upgraded to a restaurant but to him the biggest advantage of his fame is being able to choose the jobs he takes on.

He said: "Are there certain perks? Absolutely. You can get a better table and things like that, but I come from an acting family and the perks to me are being able to work. My father said success means having a choice in this life.

"And if you have a choice of roles, then that's success. It doesn't matter on what level. If you're scrounging and doing a puppet show on the street, that's brutal. But you have options as an actor and that's true success. So, I'm very grateful to be a working actor and stand-up comic."