Dan Aykroyd Almost Ended Up as a Prison Guard — How His Parents Changed His Path

The actor grew up in Canada and nearly went into civil service before an improv class opened his mind to other possibilities

Fans basically have Dan Aykroyd's parents to thank for Blues Brothers and Ghostbusters.

Speaking to PEOPLE recently about his new project, the Audible Original Blues Brothers: The Arc of Gratitude, Aykroyd reflected on his childhood in Canada and how a series of small choices led him to where he is now.

"My first passion was really just surviving in Ottawa in the government town as an upper middle class son of bureaucrats," the 72-year-old shared. "I started work on the Canadian National Railway unloading boxcars at 14 and I have not stopped working since."

Though his goal was originally to "get a paycheck, borrow a friend's car and put gas in it, take a lady on a date," his creative side was awakened when his parents put him in improv classes at 12 years old.

"Every weekend there was a class right down the street from where I lived, in the basement of the Ottawa Theatre," he recalled. "At 12 years old, I was studying what I eventually went on to doing professionally — though then I didn't think I'd ever take it up as a profession."

Related: Dan Aykroyd Says He'll Never Forget the 'Trauma' of Having to Tell John Belushi's Wife He Had Died

Aykroyd later went to college at Canada's Carleton University, where he studied criminology. He went on to drive a mail truck, too. But friend Valri Bromfield — who'd ultimately become a close colleague for a time — helped nudge him toward a career in comedy.

"She said, 'You're not going to be a prison guard. We're going to write comedy and you're going into comedy.' "

The pair had a cable TV show, which they were able to show future SNL creator Lorne Michaels, who gave them other TV work and kept Aykroyd on his radar.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

"Then I went on to a career at Second City with Valri, and it was really her urging and nudging that got me out of Ottawa," Aykroyd explained. "I would've worked as a clerk in the penitentiary service for 20 years if I'd had my druthers. I'd just be retiring."

Of course, that wasn't so. In 1975, Aykroyd became one of the first stars of SNL along with legends including Gilda Radner, Chevy Chase, Garrett Morris, Jane Curtin, John Belushi and Laraine Newman. The move ultimately helped The Blues Brothers movie hit the big screen in 1980, before Aykroyd went on to Ghostbusters, his Oscar-nominated turn in Driving Miss Daisy and My Girl, among other classics.

Related: Dan Aykroyd Reveals How He and John Belushi Changed Lorne Michaels' Mind After He 'Didn't Dig' the Blues Brothers

"It was Valeri," he contended. "I've got to thank her for taking me out of Ottawa. I've had a beautiful run."

Akyroyd's Audible Original is an oral history of The Blues Brothers, the film that arguably put him on the map and opened the door to both more acting and screenwriting. Revisiting the project alongside colleagues and costars — including a never-before-heard interview with the late Belushi — was particularly special, he told PEOPLE.

"I hope people take away the emotion of the love story between John and myself," he shared. "But also laughs and knowledge, and inspiration that you can still keep doing something you love."

For more with Aykroyd, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands now.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.