Julianne Moore never wanted to be an actress.

The flame-haired beauty - who has been nominated for an Oscar four times - did not intend to break into Hollywood and always thought she would be a doctor.

She said: "I didn't have any intention of being an actress. I just did plays after school. I had a teacher who said, 'Hey, you could do this,' and gave ma copy of Dramatics with all these schools I could go to.

And I thought, OK. Around that time, Meryl Streep was on the cover of Time. The story was all about the work she did in theatre as well as in film and I remember saying to my dad, 'Look, do you see this person? She's an actor!'

"My plan was to be a doctor. Even now I'll think. 'Why wasn't I a doctor?' I would be helping people."

Despite not going into the medical profession, the 'Kids Are Alright' star is glad she can help people through her various charity endeavours, including being the US ambassador for Save the Children.

She said: "I was fortunate with the parents I had and the education and opportunities I got.

"There are certain circumstances that a person can be born into where life is impossibly hard, but that wasn't my experience. I feel I have an obligation and want to help others. After all, we live in one world."