Aaron Taylor-Johnson was "pretty self-destructive" before meeting his wife.

He told Nylon Guys magazine: "It was a lot of crazy s**t I got up to for a couple years.

"I was pretty self-destructive at one point. I used to smoke 30 [cigarettes] a day, used to f***ing drink nonstop. I've always been able to be on the f***ing edge -- be on the line, but then pull myself back..."

And the British star used to pretend to be American when he went for auditions, only revealing his true background afterwards.

He added: "[There were] some interesting movies but a lot of TV. A lot of Nickelodeon bulls**t.

"It was kind of like learning how to pull. It was like, how do you go into a bar and point out the fittest girl and then just go, 'I'll have her by the end of the night?'

"I was at that age where that was kind of...I stopped when I met Sam."

These days, the 'Godzilla' actor - who is also stepfather to sixteen-year-old Angelica and eight-year-old Jessie, from Sam's previous marriage - is more content hanging out with his children than in bars.

He said: "I love the f***ing music class. I'm the only dad there. It's, like, mums and nannies. And you're clapping your hands. You're singing more than the kids are."