Cary Elwes was pleased to immerse himself in acting work after losing his home in the California wildfires

Cary told People magazine: "The minute I took the makeup off and the wardrobe, all I could think of is how traumatising that whole event was. So it actually felt good to be somebody else."

The actor - who has daughter Dominique, 18, with his wife Lisa Marie - was grateful for the generosity of locals in California after the family were left with "nothing" after the blaze.

Cary recalled: "We had nothing.

"They were sending us places to get clothes to put on our backs. When you have that outpouring of support and you feel that generosity, it's powerful."

Elwes is now looking at the horrific ordeal in a positive light and won't allow it to "define" him.

The Saw star said: "It definitely shaped me, but I won't let it define me. I think I'm a better person for it. I do believe that I'm not just going to rebuild a house. I'm going to rebuild me. I got two for one."

Cary is now living in a temporary spot and explained how he and his wife are acclimatising to an empty nest with their daughter studying filmmaking at college.

He said: "God bless her, she comes home. She likes being with the family.

"She's going to end up being a bigger star than me. I'll have to talk to her agent for sure!"

Meanwhile, Elwes recently paid an emotional tribute to The Princess Bride director Rob Reiner on social media - following the shocking deaths of the filmmaker and his wife Michele Singer Reiner last month.

The 63-year-old star wrote on Instagram: "He obviously loved making movies - and was clearly a brilliant filmmaker - but he told me what he really enjoyed the most was the experience itself. He used to say, 'Once the movie is released it belongs to other people. But while you are making it, that's your time on the planet, so you wanna make it good.'

"And boy was my time with him on The Princess Bride beyond great. I can't remember a single day without laughter. The movie is about love, loyalty and sacrifice. Things that Rob held dear. Which is among the many reasons he was the perfect person to direct it."