Dick Van Dyke Admits He Used to 'Wait for the Phone to Ring' and 'Was out of Work a Lot' Early in His Career

Despite having one of the longest, most illustrious careers in Hollywood, the acting legend believes he could be "lazy" and wasn't "aggressive" enough during his early days in Hollywood

Dick Van Dyke is prolific and beloved in Hollywood, but the acting legend admits the roles didn’t necessarily come because he was a go-getter from the start.

“As a businessman, I’m not much good. I would do a movie or something and come home, and just sit down and wait for the phone to ring. I wasn’t aggressive. So I was out of work a lot, because I didn’t go out and look for it.” Van Dyke said on this weekend's CBS’News Sunday Morning. "I didn't mind it."

Instead, Van Dyke said his "whole career has depended" on having fun.

“If I’m not enjoying myself, I’m really bad,” he continued, adding, "It’s such a blessing to find a way of making a living that you love, that you’d do for nothing. I feel so sorry for people who hate their jobs. I look forward to going to work every morning.”

Related: Dick Van Dyke Looks Back on His Iconic Career as He Turns 98: 'My Whole Life Went Before Me' (Exclusive)

The actor, who turned 98 on Dec. 13, will be honored Thursday with the two-hour tribute special Dick Van Dyke 98 Years of Magic, featuring archival footage and live performances of songs from his decades-long career.

“I’m on my third generation. I’m getting letters from little kids, and that is what I love,” he said. “They watch the movies over and over. I’m getting so much more mail today than I did during the heyday of my career.”

Related: Dick Van Dyke's Life in Photos

While he’s grateful for his life, one that includes his marriage with makeup artist Arlene Silver and four children — Christian, Barry, Stacy and Carrie Beth — with late ex-wife Margerie Willett, Van Dyke admitted he would change one thing.

“If I had known I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself. Yeah, because I went through that whole period of alcoholism,” he explained, adding that Silver "makes sure" he goes to the gym three times a week.

Related: Dick Van Dyke Sweetly Praises Wife Arlene Silver Ahead of His 98th Birthday: 'You Look Like a Movie Star'

Ahead of his 98th birthday, Van Dyke also told PEOPLE that he still finds joy and gratitude “every day of my life.”

“My wife brings me a cup of coffee in the morning. I get it in bed. I get treated like a king around here,” he said, referring to his Southern California home.

Despite the joy, Van Dyke is also in the midst of a “sad moment” as he outlives friends including Norman Lear, who died at the age of 101 on Dec. 5.

“I [once] had a bunch of friends there to say nice things,” he admitted, "but Mary Tyler Moore, Morey [Amsterdam] and [Rose Marie], Carl Reiner, Norman Lear — all the people that I always loved and associated with are gone, so I'm having to make new friends."

Luckily, the acting legend doesn’t have to go far to do that. “I'm happy to say people come to me,” he added. “I don't have to go out looking.”

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Dick Van Dyke 98 Years of Magic premieres Thursday at 9 p.m. ET on CBS.

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