Brazilian star set for his closeup
Last week Brazilian film superstar Rodrigo Santoro arrived in Hawai‘i from Rio de Janeiro to begin work as new castaway Paulo on ABC’s "Lost.''
After arriving, he visited the "Lost'' production office for a wardrobe fitting and met Kiele Sanchez, the woman cast as his love interest, Nikki.
He describes her as "sweet,'' but adds that "her character is going to surprise a lot of people.''
What is most surprising about these two cast additions is how little they have appeared on-screen.
Santoro and Sanchez made their debut a couple of weeks ago as never-before-seen crash survivors. They had a bit more to do on Wednesday’s episode during a treacherous trek through the jungle that left someone dead.
His limited role has proven a challenge for someone whose fame in Brazil is on par with that of Tom Cruise and Russell Crowe.
Santoro was born in the mountain town of Petropolis, about an hour’s drive from Rio, to Italian-born engineer Francesco and Brazilian artist Maria Jose.
He moved to Rio to study journalism before getting involved in the city’s street-theater scene. Television parts led to starring roles in such features as 2001’s "Behind the Sun'' and 2003’s "Carandiru,'' in which he played a transsexual named Lady Di.
He won Brazil’s equivalent of the Oscar for playing a mental patient in 2001’s "Brainstorm.''
Such fame has made the actor, with his lean, 6-foot-2 frame and wavy hair, a target of Brazilian paparazzi. He laughs recalling one report that he made $1 million for his "very fast — blink and I’m gone'' cameo in 2003’s "Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle'' as Cameron Diaz’s surfer boy.
"I made so little money,'' he says in English, a language he picked up just three years ago. "But it wasn’t that funny because I didn’t want people in Rio thinking I was rich, because it can be dangerous.''
Audiences also may recognize him as Nicole Kidman’s lover in Baz Luhrmann’s Chanel No. 5 commercial or as the bikini-clad object of Laura Linney’s affections in 2003’s "Love Actually.''
Next year, he will star opposite Gerard Butler in the adaptation of the graphic novel "300.''
Lunching beachside at the Kahala Hotel, Santoro, 31, notices a woman circling him. Finally, she approaches, a Brazilian tourist hoping for a photograph with her idol.
"So handsome and a good actor,'' she raves.
Minutes later, another South American woman says, "My friend’s going to die when I tell her I saw you.''
Like these fans, the Brazilian tabloids are obsessed with his romantic life.
"They want to know who I’m dating. If I’m dating, they want to find if I’m cheating. If you’re not dating someone, they want to find out who you are willing to date,'' says the actor, who landed on People’s 2004 Most Beautiful list.
For the record, Santoro is exclusive with his Brazilian girlfriend of three years, designer and TV host Ellen Jabour.
He is weary of being depicted as a Latin lover stereotype and expressed that to "Lost'' producers.
That’s not to say he doesn’t enjoy shedding his clothes off camera. In Brazil, he spends mornings in the ocean with one of his five surfboards and evenings on the sand.
Now, Santoro has been trying to master waves on Waikïkï Beach.
"The first thing I recognized when I landed here is the weather, and how much this Island is like Bahia (Brazil),'' he says. "It feels like home.''
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