Billy Bob Thornton says he ‘may not even be here now’ had he gotten famous as a young man

Billy Bob Thornton says he’s glad he didn’t achieve fame until middle age.

“If I had made it as an actor when I was in my 20s or younger, I may not even be here now,” the “Gray Man” actor, 66, told People, adding he wasn’t “equipped” at that time “to handle that.”

The Oscar-nominated “Sling Blade” star and Academy Award-winning screenwriter of the 1996 film — based on his one-man show and short film — also directed the movie that boosted his fame.

As a young man, Thornton said he “had a history ... of certain chemical refreshments and things like that.

“I don’t know if I would’ve made it through,” Thornton continued. “I’m happy that things unfolded in a way that I didn’t force, that they just happened. I still appreciate that.”