Evan Rachel Wood has revealed that she was bullied as a child because of her ambition to forge a career in acting.

Wood, 24, said she was singled out by other children at her elementary school, who thought she was "stuck up" for attending auditions for TV shows and movies.

"I used to get beat up in elementary school ... They would assume I was this spoilt little brat," she said in an interview with the Guardian. "In fifth grade, I would get held and spit on and people would throw basketballs at me and s**t. It sucked. I never even fought back.

"I would be like, 'Why? I've never done anything, I'm not bothering you."

Wood said the situation meant she ended up being home schooled.

"Teachers gave me more of a hard time than the kids did," she went on. "They thought I was stuck up or, I don't know, they were bitter teachers that were like, 'This girl must think she's better than everyone else,' but if anything it made me feel like more of an outcast. I just wanted to hide."

The actress has received a lot of attention in the press recently, due to her role in upcoming political thriller The Ides of March, co-starring George Clooney.

The North Carolina native talked about the importance of self-belief in an interview with Stylist a few weeks back.

"If you have the opportunity to say what you believe in and hopefully help someone, there is no reason to hide who you are," she said.

Evan Rachel Wood: I was 'beat up'