Alan Ritchson opened up about his experience being bullied as a child during a new interview.

The 41-year-old actor is now famous for his role in projects such as Reacher. However, in his childhood his creativity and status as “a very late bloomer” put a target on his back.

During a conversation with The Wall Street Journal, Alan opened up about how he was affected by the experiences in his past.

He also recalled a “strange” encounter with one of his bullies after he became a famous actor.

Read more about Alan Ritchson’s experiences…

Alan told the publication that his hometown of Niceville, Florida “had plenty of mean kids when I grew up there.”

“The city is on the state’s panhandle so it’s part of the South, which means sports. As a kid who was an artist but didn’t know it yet, I had my share of bullying,” he explained.

He continued, recalling, “Early on, I wasn’t physically built the way I am now, and I loved expressing myself through music, singing and in-line skating. Not ideal for a guy in an area where all the dudes wore mullets and pulled up to school in four wheelers.”

The actor shared a memory from high school when people made fun of him for not having hair on his legs.

“Everyone laughed. I was mortified,” he admitted.

Times have changed, though.

“Before we left Florida, I ran into one of the guys who teased me in high school. He wanted a selfie. I was happy to oblige, but it felt strange,” Alan revealed. “He forgot what he did, but I didn’t. I still don’t like wearing shorts.”

If you missed it, Alan recently revealed the unexpected way he got in shape for the second season of Reacher.