He also admitted that being the center of attention never came naturally.
“Attention made me recoil.”
Although he discovered a love for acting during high school, McCarthy often felt like an outsider.
“I just felt sort of very lonely at school. I just didn’t feel like I belonged there.”
After graduating, he enrolled at New York University to study acting. His college career, however, was short-lived. He rarely attended classes and was eventually expelled after just two years.
A Career Changes Overnight
Shortly after leaving NYU, McCarthy noticed an open casting call for the comedy Class, starring Jacqueline Bisset.
He waited in line with hundreds of hopeful actors, never imagining his life was about to change.
He landed the role and suddenly found himself filming scenes opposite one of Hollywood’s biggest stars.
“One week I was in school and the next week I’m in bed with Jacqueline Bisset. I thought, ‘I’m doing something right here.'”
After the film’s success, NYU reportedly offered to readmit him and count the movie toward his studies.
McCarthy declined.
Becoming an ’80s Heartthrob
His breakthrough continued with St. Elmo’s Fire in 1985, where he joined an ensemble cast that included Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Emilio Estevez, and Judd Nelson.
