300 (2007)
Interview with Rodrigo Santoro
Rodrigo Santoro
Brazilian Actor Rodrigo Santoro is a well know star of soap operas in his home country and the voice of Stuart Little when this white animated mouse speaks Brazilian Portuguese. When Hollywood needs him they cast him often as a beautiful but a little dull hunk (See Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle or Love Actually if you need any proof for that.). The role he got most critical acclaim for was in the Arthur Cohn Film Behind the Sun which won the Venice Film Festival. Those of you who watch the third season of Lost already now might hate know his screen persona Paolo. Xerxes that bald giant that comes across very gay in drag queen sort of way is a bit of a strange choice of role for him, but he told OutNow.CH in Berlin that he always wanted to play him.
» Das interview in deutscher Sprache
OutNow.CH (ON): Is it fun to play a character like Xerxes?
Rodrigo Santoro (RS): It was a transformation of what I really am to that figure. I had to work out and shave my whole body. Frank Miller described the character as seven feet tall, hairless and his voice was like thunder
ON: But he is not all bad.
As Xerxes
RS: He's ambiguous. He's more of an entity than a king. It's a comic book character and therefore mythological and fantastic. In the film you see the giants with lobster hands. It's fun to play with these characters. And Xerxes is an example of that. I don't think he's evil. It's not about good or bad guy.
ON: Leonidas is not only a good guy aswell.
RS: Both are fighting for their goals. The Spartans were fighting for their freedom against Xerxes' tyranny. And Xerxes had to conquer the world. It's the mission his father left him. The way he does it is strange. He truly believes he's a god. It makes the character interesting because he is megalomaniac. It's all about his ego.
ON: Do you choose your characters with your career in mind?
RS: My focus is always on what I'm doing right now. During my career as an actor I learned that it is nothing that you can control. You never know how a movie turns out and how your performance is going to be. If you base your choices on future prospects you always be in the dark.
