United Kingdom, July 3 -- JK Simmons is convinced he would have died young "like James Dean" if he'd shot to fame in his 20s.

The 71-year-old actor spent years working in Hollywood before raising his profile with a role in the Spider-Man movies in the 2000s and finding critical acclaim in his late 50s when he was nominated for an Oscar for his role in 2014 drama Whiplash.

However, Simmons is glad he wasn't thrust into the spotlight at a young age because he's convinced it would have ended in tragedy - much like the death of Rebel Without a Cause star Dean, who died in a car crash in 1955 at the age of 24. He told The Telegraph newspaper: "It was a very slow [rise to fame], and thank God.

"If I had become a well-known actor when I was 2...