Max Casella's acting career nearly came crashing down in his mid-20s due to a growth hormone deficiency.

The  Sopranos  alum, 59, revealed that he didn't go through puberty until he was 27, following medical intervention.

 It was insane,  he told Page Six at the Cinema Society screening of  Jimmy  earlier this week.

 Wouldn't have been my choice, but you know, given the cards you're dealt. You make the best of it. 

7 Max Casella spoke to Page Six exclusively at a screening of  Jimmy  on Tuesday. Page Six

7 The actor shared that a growth hormone deficiency almost derailed his career. Getty Images

7 Casella played Neil Patrick Harris' sidekick in  Doogie Howser, M.D.   ABC/Courtesy Everett Collection

Casella, who played Benny Fazio on the hit HBO series, admitted that his career  was pretty much dead  after he began experiencing the awkward physical changes most people go through as teenagers.

 I went through the awkward phase that most people go through in high school  while already an established actor, he explained.

 I had to start all over again. It was a humiliating experience,  he said.

The  Doogie Howser, M.D.  alum confessed that he struggled to adjust to his changing appearance.

 I didn't wear it well right away,  he shared.

 You know what happens to especially boys when they go through puberty. They get awkward and zits and fat, chubby, whatever. 

7 He ended up going through puberty in his mid-20s and had to restart his career.  20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection

7 He also played Benny Fazio in  The Sopranos.  HBO

However, Casella credited landing the role of Timon in the original Broadway production of  The Lion King  with helping him navigate the difficult transition.

 I was dancing 8 times a week,  he explained,  and I completely became an adult. 

Casella now stars in  Jimmy,  a biographical film chronicling Jimmy Stewart's experiences as a combat pilot during World War II and his eventual return to Hollywood, where he starred in the beloved 1946 film  It's a Wonderful Life. 

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