(CNN) Sam Elliott's deep, resonant voice has helped to distinguish him in Hollywood over the course of his 40-year career.

But, remarkably, he was once told to alter it.

In fact, Elliott, who was nominated for an Oscar for his role in "A Star Is Born" this past year, recently told CNN that an actor rep told him early in his career that he wouldn't see success without changing his voice.

"When I was looking for an agent, I went and met with this guy," Elliott said. "They had a portfolio full of photographs and he was thumbing through these photographs and he closed the book and slid the book back over to me and said, 'If I was you, I'd go back to Portland, Oregon. and if you're going to stay in this town, you should take some voice and diction lessons and learn how to talk and get rid of that dialect.'"

Elliott obviously didn't take that advice.

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