Benicio Del Toro
Benicio Del Toro
Benicio Monserrate Rafael del Toro Sanchez, known professionally as Benicio Del Toro, is a Puerto Rican actor. He has won an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award for his portrayal of Javier Rodríguez in the film Traffic. He is also known for his roles as Fred Fenster in The Usual Suspects, Dr. Gonzo in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Franky Four Fingers in Snatch, Jackie Boy in Sin City, Che Guevara in Che,...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionMovie Actor
Date of Birth19 February 1967
CitySan Juan, PR
CountryUnited States of America
I used to play basketball and I was pretty competitive, but I was never a bad loser. I never got angry. For me it was always about doing my best and devoting myself to a challenge.
It really is a pleasure to work with someone who you admire. Whatever you do in front of the camera, and I don't know what it is, but actors have this thing that you recognize someone that makes you better. When you do that, it's a great feeling.
My goal as an actor has always been to reach a level where I can find a lot of interesting work, and I think I'm at that point now. The Oscar has given me a lot of recognition.
Hopefully, I can play both sides of the fence. That's probably what winning the Oscar gives me, the chance to do something with a studio and do other things that I really want to do.
The very first things that I did, even in theater, were bad guys. They are meaty roles for the most part. With the bad guy you have more freedom to experiment and go further out than with a good guy.
I've had people ask me: 'How can you make a movie about a murderer? A terrorist?' What they don't understand is that I'm in support of everyone who appears on screen. I have to be. I take the position of everyone who's on screen. I'm not judging them one way or another.
I'm a fan myself, so when a fan does something that might be strange, I understand it.
Before I was ever in high school, I had dark circles under my eyes.
Am I getting better at making choices? Well, I think I might be getting better at reading scripts.
Well when I was a kid, I asked Santa Claus for some toys. Santa Claus wrote me a letter that he lost his bag. He said he'd get back to me next year.
Some roles have been with me forever
Villains used to always die in the end. Even the monsters. Frankenstein, Dracula - you'd kill them with a stake. Now the nightmare guy comes back.
I don't think I could be a foot soldier. I don't know if I could take orders too good. I'm a little lazy.
You have to kill to survive. People have been doing it forever. I eat meat, and I eat fish. If I were on a deserted island I would need that to survive.