Ruby Rose lived on ‘blow-up mattress’ before Orange is the New Black

Ruby Rose lived on a "blow-up mattress" before being cast in ‘Orange is the New Black’.

The 30-year-old actress had her first big break when she took on the role of Stella Carlin for the third series of the Netflix prison drama, and has admitted that before she was offered the role she spent "a year" sleeping on a simple inflatable mattress.

She said: "I started with a blow-up mattress from Target that me and my dog slept on for about a year."

And the cropped haired beauty also admitted she spent "two years" being unemployed when she first moved to America to begin her acting career, and was stunned when she got the call from casting director Jen Huston.

She added: "I came [to the U.S.] to pursue acting and was unemployed for two years, which was good.

"Then I created a short film called ‘Break Free’, and it was really received well. And I got a call from Jen Huston who casts ‘Orange’ and ‘Girls’ and a bunch of things, and she asked me to audition for Stella.

"Imagine not getting any work for two years and then getting to audition for the greatest show in the world!"

Ruby – who is dating The Veronicas singer Jess Origliasso – didn’t think the role would "change [her] life", but now admits she was "wrong".

Speaking on ‘The Ellen Degeneres Show’ on Tuesday (01.10.17), she said: "I said to everyone on the show, ‘Nobody’s gonna notice I’m in this, blink and you’ll miss it.’ And everyone was like, ‘No, this is going to change your life’ … I was wrong."

Whilst Ruby might be on her way to becoming a Hollywood star, she still prefers the quiet life.

She said previously: "I’m not really a going-out kind of person. I much prefer being a homebody. I always enjoy listening to music, watching great television and great television shows. I love anything to do with art and the creative process."