Jacob Elordi’s life changed after one painful moment during his teenage years.

The 28-year-old actor shared that he was only 16 when a serious rugby injury forced him to stop playing the sport he grew up with.

In Australia, rugby was a big part of his identity. At St Joseph’s Nudgee College in Brisbane, Jacob felt that playing sports was expected, even if his heart was slowly leaning somewhere else.

At the same time, the Frankenstein star was quietly rehearsing for a school play. However, acting made him feel alive but his rugby coach pushed him to choose between the field and the stage.

Before he could decide, the actor’s body made the choice for him.

Jacob fractured a bone in his back while lifting weights and soon after, a heavy tackle during a rugby match made the injury worse.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, he remembered lying on the ground in pain and laughing, realising everything changed.

He compared himself to the High School Musical character Troy Bolton, caught between sport and performance.

Moreover, the injury ended his rugby dreams, but it opened another path.

With sports behind him, Jacob leaned into acting fully and that moment, filled with pain and fear, slowly became the start of his journey to Hollywood and the career he has today.