Joe Manganiello reveals he almost competed on Survivor

Joe Manganiello has revealed that he almost competed on the reality TV series Survivor.

In a new interview with Entertainment Tonight, the 47-year-old said that he nearly appeared as a contestant on the long-running reality series before his Hollywood career took off.

"So, years ago. Long, long, long, long, long time ago I was at some pool party somewhere, and I met someone who was casting for Survivor when it first came out," the True Blood actor explained.

"I was like, 'I could win.' And they were like, 'Oh, really? Why don't you make a tape?' And it was summer. I was working construction to pay the bills," Joe continued. "They said you can't be an actor. Because there's too many actors in L.A. trying to (audition) we can't do it."

Joe told the outlet that he auditioned for the show as "Joe the construction worker".

"Somewhere, I keep trying to find it, there's a DVD of my Survivor audition as Joe the construction worker from Pittsburgh," he said. "And it's me jackhammering."

The actor didn't appear in the CBS series because he ultimately decided to focus on his acting career.

"I had a pilot that I had shot the year before that. Got picked up a year later and that never happens. So, I was going to be on TV and you can't be on TV and be on Survivor and they wanted the rights - like the book rights - and my life story," he explained. "I couldn't do it."

The Magic Mike actor will next be seen as the host of NBC's new series Deal or No Deal Island, which will premiere in the U.S. on Monday.