Rodrigo Santoro Had to Wax His Entire Body to Play Xerxes in 300

Rodrigo Santoro talks about Love Actually, the painful way he prepared for his role as a god-king in 300 and growing a beard for Reprisal.

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Rodrigo Santoro Had to Wax His Entire Body to Play Xerxes in 300- Late Night with Seth Meyers
https://youtu.be/1Yr2gtTq5R0

Late Night with Seth Meyers
http://www.youtube.com/user/latenightseth

Welcome to the show.
Thank you.

I'm so happy to have you.

I feel like you're one of those
actors that people recognize

from many different things
over the years.

But we're coming up
on the Christmas season,

and I feel as though -

You have a role in a film,
"Love Actually,"

where you played Karl,
Laura Linney's love interest.

That's right.

Is this still a role
that you're asked about?

Oh, yeah, man, yeah.
I mean, they play -

Every Christmas,
this film is on TV.

Yeah.

I think people
really love the film.

I mean, not so much
the way our story line ended.

Yeah.

I do get some interesting
feedback sometimes.

Because it's one of the sad-
It ends sadly.

Yeah. It does.

People wanted you guys to end
up together, and you didn't.

And I think that - I think

most guys want to end up
like that.

Just, like, looking -

Just looking like that
in general.

Yeah, I had this -

You know, I was at the airport
the other day,

and this lady came to me
and say,

"Are you that guy with the
glasses on Love Actually'?"

I'm like, "Yeah.
Yeah, yeah, that's me."

She was like, "Could you give me
Laura Linney's phone number?"

And I go like, "Well, I don't
think that's appropriate."

She goes like, "I don't
understand why she dumped you.

I need to talk to her about it."

Really?
And I'm like, "Well,

you should talk to the writer,
ask for a sequel.

Maybe we can, you know,
work it out."

Absolutely. It seems very
strange to get a phone call

20 years later about a choice

a fictional character
made in a movie.

I agree. I agree.

You - Another role that you
were almost unrecognizable in

is - You played, in "300,"

basically a nine-foot
god king, Xerxes.

That's you.
Not recognizable at all.

Yeah.
There was an intense,

obviously,
workout regime to this.

Also a good deal of grooming.

Oh, man. All right.

Okay. Let's get into that.
Yeah.

Yeah. Nine feet tall,
hairless, god king.

Yeah.
The lord of the lords.

Now, the trick -
Thank you very much.

I appreciate it. Yes.

Everything was challenging
about playing this part,

but there was one
very tricky thing

that was in the word "hairless."

Yeah.
I had to wax my whole body.

Really? The whole body?
Head to toe?

Yes. So, I went to this hair
place. I mean, waxing place.

And this very lovely lady
came to me and said,

"Would you like hot or cold?"

I like, "Hot."
Yeah, I would have picked hot.

You would?
Yeah.

Have you waxed before?
No.

Okay.

This all just happens
on its own.

All right.
You're just born like that.

That's perfect.

So, she picked up that hot thing
and just splat on my chest.

And I'm like,
"Is that going to hurt?"

And she rips. Wah!
I'm like, "Aah! Ah!"

And then she goes - She grabs
the towel and go, "Bite,"

and put it in my mouth.

And I'm crying. Miserable.
Like, crying. It's so painful.

You know that movie
"40-Year-Old Virgin"?

Yeah, sure.
I'm Steve Carell.

Yeah, that was the real deal.

That was the moment.
Absolutely.

So it was the first and
the last time I waxed my body.

I went back to the makeup
department and said,

"Guys, give me a razor.

I would like to proceed that way
from now on."

Also, that movie famously
had so much CGI.

It seems like a bummer they
couldn't have figured out a way

to just, like, digitally
get rid of your hair.

That would be awesome.
Yeah, that - Moving forward -

In "Reprisal,"
you get to grow out a beard.

That must have been
one of the things that
drew you to the part.

Yeah, it took me
three months to grow that beard.

I've got to tell -
Have you ever had -

No, I really haven't
and nor could I. Yeah.

Okay. I'll tell you one thing.
It's high-maintenance.

You have to take care of it.
It's a lot of work.

It was appropriate for the part.

Sure.
I thought, why not?

But then it's just, you know,

you scratch your beard, and
then you find stuff in there.

It's like, "When did I have
nachos? What is it?"

And then, you know, that's why
you have to take care of it.

You have to wash it and -

My daughter really loved
that long beard.

She did?
She did.

She would stick crayons inside.

That's so lovely.
Like, a lot of things.

Like a memory book for her.
Yeah, yeah.

Like her private basket.

Which was, you know -
It was a fun part.

There's action in this show,
as well.

I know - I heard
you hurt your finger.

I did, man. I hurt my -
Well, my middle finger.

Yeah. That's okay. If it's an
injury, they can't sensor it.

That's just - Legally.

This one. Okay.
Sorry about that.

I didn't mean it.
How did you do it?

We were rehearsing,

and then I just hit
this other guy's hand.

Uh-huh.
It was the last - final week

of shooting, and I had to
perform some stuff.

It was challenging.

But the most challenging thing
was actually outside of work,

because then I went to the
doctor and he gave me a splint.

So I put a splint,
and the splint

was very discreet,
like, skin-colored.

Uh-huh.
A little piece like a ring

that would keep my finger
up like this.

So I said,
"So, what can I do, Doctor?"

He says, "Whatever you want.
Just do not bend that finger."

I'm like, "Okay."
So I went out with my wife.

We were having, you know, sushi,
and I'm going like this.

And then I'm looking around,
and people are going -

That's when I learned
I have to use the left hand.

I started to use the left hand.
Yeah.

Then I went to the gym
the next day.

And I'm doing -
working on my biceps -

You know, like,
just going like this.

And then I look across the room,

and this guy is staring at me,
like, really, really mad.

And I'm like, "Oh, man.
I guess I got to explain."

So I come to him and say,
"Hey, I just broke..."

"What?! Why you
giving the finger for?!"

I'm like, "Dude, it is broken.

My finger is broken.
I'm so sorry."

It took him like a week
to get over it

and, you know,
really calm down.

This is the side effects
of film work

that nobody tells you when
you get into the business.

Yeah, we take it home.
You take it home.

You take the trauma home
with you.

We do. We do.
Well, congrats on the show.

Thanks so much for being here.
I really appreciate it.

Rodrigo Santoro,
everybody.