Biografia

Often plays characters from small towns and/or with simple backgrounds

Frequently plays sleazy and immoral characters

Uses a particular gait or movement with all his characters.

Mellow drawling voice

Roles in low-budget independent films

To memorize lines, he says he dictates them into a tape recorder in a monotone, so he won't get used to any inflection before he's had a chance to consider which speech pattern would be appropriate for the character.

Has based his portrayal in Heróis Fora de Órbita (1999) on Bill Paxton's performance in James Cameron's classic Aliens: O Resgate (1986). In particular, his hysterical fear of being killed, and his mental collapse upon seeing a motion detector that shows their enemy closing in on them.

In a long-term relationship with Leslie Bibb since 2007.

Filmed his scenes for Soldado Anônimo (2005) in one day. His scenes were later deleted.

Improvised most of his lines in Crime Desorganizado (2001).

Sarita (Sarita Choudhury) was the one that got away. She was amazing, really amazing. I loved Sarita. She was my pal.

[on his role in Heróis Fora de Órbita (1999)]: That part is kind of an homage to Bill Paxton in Aliens: O Resgate (1986). I definitely stole some moves from my buddy [actor] Steve Zahn and Bill Murray's lounge singer character from Saturday Night Live (1975) is in there somewhere. Plus a little Michael Keaton in Corretores do Amor (1982) and definitely some Richard Pryor. I get a lot from Richard Pryor actually. How agile he is, vulnerable.

I really believe that people like Bill Murray or John Belushi are just as great and just as valid as Robert De Niro or Al Pacino. And I don't think you can say Um Estranho no Ninho (1975) is a better movie than Clube dos Cafajestes (1978); they're different genres. I think they're both examples of great craftsmanship.

I have a constant sort of melancholy approach to acting that fuels me. I want to do everything.

[Recalling a period he went through when he was 18]: I watched Touro Indomável (1980) like 50 times. I wanted to be Italian. For a year I was Italian; that's all I did. I could do all that New York street stuff to the point where I would get feedback from my auditions, "He's too New York, he's too urban" and I was from San Francisco, really.