Kate Mara thinks she would be "dead" if she wasn't an actress.

Kate Mara - always wanted to act
Kate Mara - always wanted to act

The 'House of Cards' star insists she has never had any other career options because appearing in films and TV shows has been her ambition since she was very young.

She said: "If I wasn't acting, I would be dead.

"I would die. I can't imagine doing anything else. I have no back-up plan, so I'd be screwed.

"When I was a little kid, I dreamt of being an actor. It sounds really cheesy, but it's true. The only other thing I ever dreamt of being was a figure skater, and that never came true."

And the 'Fantastic Four' actress insists she is "pretty boring" when she isn't working because of her low-key hobbies.

Speaking to the new issue of Women's Health magazine, the 31-year-old beauty said: "My favourite thing to do on my days off is go to the movies.

"That's pretty much it. I don't do much. I'm a pretty boring person. I'm also a homebody, so if I'm not just hanging out at home with my dogs, then I'm usually at the movie theatre."

Despite both her and sister Rooney's career successes, Kate admits their early acting roles weren't very memorable.

She said: "Rooney and I did the 'Wizard of Oz' at some point [in school]. I was a tree and she was a munchkin. Or I was a munchkin, she was a tree."