Hollywood is finally giving Rodrigo Santoro more roles as 300 star has joined Lynn Ramsay‘s Western Jane Got a Gun.
Brazilian actor who recently starred alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Last Stand, and will reprise the role of Xerxes in 300: Rise of an Empire has now come on board as a character named Fitchum in the Brian Duffield-scripted western action film with Natalie Portman, Michael Fassbender and Joel Edgerton.
The story follows a young woman Jane Hammond (Portman) who is forced to enlist the aid of her ex-lover (Fassbender) when her outlaw husband (Edgerton ) is betrayed and nearly killed by his own gang. Jane also decides to grab a gun and take matters into her own hands.
Filming on Jane Got a Gun begins soon, so we probably won’t be seeing it until 2014.
Santoro recently starred in José Henrique Fonseca’s Heleno, which opened in December in limited engagements in New York,...
Brazilian actor who recently starred alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Last Stand, and will reprise the role of Xerxes in 300: Rise of an Empire has now come on board as a character named Fitchum in the Brian Duffield-scripted western action film with Natalie Portman, Michael Fassbender and Joel Edgerton.
The story follows a young woman Jane Hammond (Portman) who is forced to enlist the aid of her ex-lover (Fassbender) when her outlaw husband (Edgerton ) is betrayed and nearly killed by his own gang. Jane also decides to grab a gun and take matters into her own hands.
Filming on Jane Got a Gun begins soon, so we probably won’t be seeing it until 2014.
Santoro recently starred in José Henrique Fonseca’s Heleno, which opened in December in limited engagements in New York,...
- 2/4/2013
- by Nick Martin
- Filmofilia
Earlier this year Brazilian actor Rodrigo Santoro charmed us as a loveable, understanding newlywed in What to Expect When You're Expecting opposite Jennifer Lopez. He returns to the screen with his final film of the year with an intense title role in Heleno. Currently in limited release, the movie is based on the life of popular Brazilian soccer player Heleno de Freitas, who died in 1959 of syphilis at 39 years old. I got a chance to chat with Santoro about his massive weight loss for the role and why he couldn’t walk away from Heleno. "I had no idea about his story," said Santoro. "He's a very important character in Brazil's soccer history. He was a prince among society and was helping put Brazilian soccer on the map during the 1940s. He had a...
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- 12/15/2012
- by Elisa Osegueda
- Movies.com
Earlier this year Brazilian actor Rodrigo Santoro charmed us as a loveable, understanding newlywed in What to Expect When Your Expecting opposite Jennifer Lopez. He returns to the screen with his final film of the year with an intense title role in Heleno. Currently in limited release, the movie is based on the life of popular Brazilian soccer player Heleno de Freitas, who died in 1959 of syphilis at 39 years old. I got a chance to chat with Santoro about his massive weight loss for the role and why he couldn’t walk away from Heleno. "I had no idea about his story," said Santoro. "He's a very important character in Brazil's soccer history. He was a prince among society and was helping put Brazilian soccer in the map during the 1940s. He had a very...
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- 12/15/2012
- by affiliates@fandango.com
- Fandango
Rodrigo Santoro won hearts in the holiday favorite Love, Actually, and was back on the big screen earlier this year playing Jennifer Lopez's love interest in What to Expect When You're Expecting. His next film, Heleno, based on the tragic and true story of Brazilian soccer player Heleno de Freitas, is out in limited released in NYC, La, and Miami today. Rodrigo visited our NYC studio this week to chat about the challenges of playing someone who once lived, as well as starring in and producing a film. He also opened up about what tradition he's looking forward to most this holiday season, and what exactly it's like to be known around the world as a heartthrob.
- 12/7/2012
- by Allie Merriam
- Popsugar.com
I don’t know from South American football (that is, soccer), so I’d never heard of Heleno de Freitas, but apparently he was the world’s first sports superstar, shooting to fame in Brazil in the 1940s on the basis of an elegance on the field that startled and delighted fans. You’d be hard-pressed, however, to learn that from this first-ever biopic of the man, which curiously all but avoids the game -- except for a few opportunities for Heleno, a hothead with no self-control, to berate and abuse his teammates -- in favor of a lurid focus on his other public exploits. These appear to have mostly encompassed being an absolute monster to women, which his celebrity and movie-star looks seem to have allowed him to get away with. Director José Henrique Fonseca spends an inordinate and distasteful amount of time depicting his degradation of wife, mistress,...
- 12/7/2012
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
The common criticism leveled at biopics is that they are rarely narratively challenging, with most following a standard template that sees the story move along episodically, ticking off the events in the character's life in a rote fashion. So some credit must be given to director José Henrique Fonseca and his four co-writers for defying convention with "Heleno," a biopic of 1940s Brazilian football star Heleno de Freitas. However, your enjoyment of the impressionistic rather then detail-oriented portrait of the player will largely depend on how much you know about him (or not) going into the film. Jumping back and forth through time, dipping in and out of events, don't feel bad if your lack of knowledge about Heleno leaves you feeling a bit lost. Viewers will glean that he was an impulsive, tempestuous and (apparently) talented player, who had trouble being faithful, dreamed of playing in the World Cup,...
- 12/6/2012
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Fantasy Fútbol Turned Nightmare: Santoro Brings Bravura
As we all know, the brightest stars often burn out far faster than your average Joe, especially when referring to narcissistic, trash talking celebrity athletes who seem to care for their public image more than the bodies that bring them success. Long before we witnessed the rise and fall of Mike Tyson, Darryl Strawberry, or Tiger Woods, there was Heleno de Freitas, a Brazilian bad boy soccer superstar who led the Botafogo football club throughout the 1940s, ending his career morosely by refusing to treat a crippling case of syphilis and talking himself into alienation from the sport that made him a national icon. Director José Henrique Fonseca’s biographic portrayal of the hot headed footballer takes pains to indulge de Freitas’ worst impulses in classic antihero fashion, but Heleno steamrolls story arch conventionalism with performance bravura and striking black and white cinematography...
As we all know, the brightest stars often burn out far faster than your average Joe, especially when referring to narcissistic, trash talking celebrity athletes who seem to care for their public image more than the bodies that bring them success. Long before we witnessed the rise and fall of Mike Tyson, Darryl Strawberry, or Tiger Woods, there was Heleno de Freitas, a Brazilian bad boy soccer superstar who led the Botafogo football club throughout the 1940s, ending his career morosely by refusing to treat a crippling case of syphilis and talking himself into alienation from the sport that made him a national icon. Director José Henrique Fonseca’s biographic portrayal of the hot headed footballer takes pains to indulge de Freitas’ worst impulses in classic antihero fashion, but Heleno steamrolls story arch conventionalism with performance bravura and striking black and white cinematography...
- 12/6/2012
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
Speaking with Coming Soon while promoting Heleno, actor Rodrigo Santoro discusses his returning to the role of King Xerxes in Warner Bros.' 300: Rise Of An Empire, a follow-up to Zack Snyder's 2007 Frank Miller adaptation. He comments on his preparation for his performance, as well as working with green screen and how FX will help enhance aspects of the character. He also talks about how the film will be connected to the original 300, confirming that some of it will be set before the first film and some after, but that it will mostly take place during the events of the prior movie. "I had to shave, I had to work out again, I had to go back to Xerxes. It's the same character," Santoro says. "There's little new things - a little before, a little after - but most of the movie, it's...
- 12/6/2012
- ComicBookMovie.com
Brazilian actor Rodrigo Santoro worked for nearly a decade in his native country before some of his movies started making their way here, most notably Walter Salles' Behind the Sun and the prison drama Carandiru , but it was his role as Xerxes in Zack Snyder's 300 that really got him attention in North America, followed by a short stint on the hit ABC drama "Lost." In his new movie Heleno , Santoro plays Heleno de Freitas, one of Brazil's most famous soccer players during the '40s and '50s whose womanizing and clubbing ways led to his downfall years later, as his dreams were crushed and he ended up dying of syphilis. It's a really groundbreaking performance by Santoro, playing Heleno on the field, in the bedroom with the various women he slept with and then going...
- 12/6/2012
- Comingsoon.net
As a child, "Heleno" actor Rodrigo Santoro's grandfather recounted tales of Heleno de Freitas, the storied soccer star whose career spun out of control. So as he depicted the playboy in the film, which follows the arc of de Freitas from stardom to a syphilis-induced death at 39 in 1959 in a sanatorium, he told an audience Monday night at the Landmark Theatre that he felt a sense of duty resurrecting the Brazilian athlete once dubbed "Prince Cursed." Also read: Record 71 Countries Submit Films for Foreign-Language Oscars "One of the biggest reasons...
- 11/13/2012
- by Alexander C. Kaufman
- The Wrap
The new trailer for director Jose Henrique Fonseca's "Heleno," a biopic on 1940s Brazilian soccer star Heleno de Freitas, gives us the film's entire arc. Glamorous in black and white, with cigarettes and sunglasses on the beach in the teaser's opening, Heleno (Rodrigo Santoro) appears near-invincible. With hardly anything in mind but "goals, little waists and Cadillacs," he acquires all three in reckless bad boy style, alienating coaches and teammates in the process. It is not to last. As Heleno's devotion to the high life erodes his athletic gifts, the film's shadows turn grim, and we watch him deteriorate in bouts of drunkenness, violence and jealousy. Though the trailer leaves us with little doubt as to the film's shape, it remains alluring in its promise of a familiar cautionary tale that goes so often ignored. "Heleno" comes out in New York on December 7. ...
- 11/13/2012
- by Chris Pomorski
- Indiewire
300 star Rodrigo Santoro lost 28 pounds (12.7 kilograms) to play tragic 1940s Brazilian soccer legend Heleno De Freitas in a new biopic.
The actor spent five years getting the film, which he produced, made - and he really suffered for his passion project.
He tells Eonline.com, "It wasn't too healthy. It was a very strict diet for two months and a lot of cardio. I just kept dropping, dropping and dropping. I had to do it because that's the way he died."
De Freitas died in a mental institution in 1959 at the age of 38.
He spent the last years of his life desperately trying to control an addiction to ether. Untreated syphilis caused him to go insane.
The actor spent five years getting the film, which he produced, made - and he really suffered for his passion project.
He tells Eonline.com, "It wasn't too healthy. It was a very strict diet for two months and a lot of cardio. I just kept dropping, dropping and dropping. I had to do it because that's the way he died."
De Freitas died in a mental institution in 1959 at the age of 38.
He spent the last years of his life desperately trying to control an addiction to ether. Untreated syphilis caused him to go insane.
- 5/3/2012
- WENN
Arnold Schwarzenegger hasn't lost any of his action star mojo. The 64-year-old former governor of California proved he's still got it while making the upcoming The Last Stand… Schwarzenegger plays a sheriff of a small town trying to stop a drug lord from crossing the border to Mexico. Costar Rodrigo Santoro, 36, admits Schwarzenegger's presence actually caused him to stumble a bit. "In one scene, I had to cross the street shooting and there's a moment when Arnold looks at me and goes, 'Go! I cover you,'" Santoro told me the other night at the screening of his soccer biopic Heleno. "I look at him and it's like the frickin' Terminator telling me he is...
- 5/2/2012
- E! Online
Jennifer Lopez's former driver may claim working for the megastar is no joy ride, but don't tell that to her What to Expect When You're Expecting costar Rodrigo Santoro. The Brazilian hottie says he had a blast playing J.Lo's music-executive husband in the upcoming movie adaptation of the iconic pregnancy guidebook. How so? Read on to find out what Mr. Santoro has to say about the American Idol judge... "Jennifer was really great," Santoro told me last night at ICM after a screening of Heleno, his biopic about 1940s Brazilian soccer star Heleno de Freitas. "She was very cool." Especially since the romantic comedy isn't Santoro's usual fare. "She was...
- 5/1/2012
- E! Online
Rodrigo Santoro is set to return to his creepily iconic and blinged-out role of Xerxes in the 300 sequel, opposite Eva Green, Sullivan Stapleton and Jamie Blackley for Warner Bros and Legendary Pictures. The film shoots this summer, with Noam Murro directing the Kurt Johnstad script. Santoro and Green play the two bad guys this time around. Santoro next stars in the upcoming What To Expect When You’re Expecting opposite Jennifer Lopez and Cameron Diaz for Lionsgate, and he starred opposite Nicole Kidman and Clive Owen in the upcoming HBO feature Hemingway And Gelhorn. He recently wrapped the Arnold Schwarzenegger comeback pic Last Stand for Lionsgate. Screen Media Films just acquired Heleno, the black-and-white Portuguese-language film Santoro starred in and produced based on the life of one of Brazil’s greatest soccer players, Heleno de Freitas. That film premiered at the last Toronto Film Festival — he just won Best Actor...
- 3/16/2012
- by MIKE FLEMING
- Deadline
Screen Media Films has acquired North American rights to the Rodrigo Santoro ("What to Expect When You're Expecting," "300") starrer "Heleno," followings its recent screening at the Miami International Film Festival. The company will release the film theatrically this summer. In "Heleno," Santoro stars as Brazilian soccer player, Heleno de Freitas. Full release below: Screen Media Acquires Rodrigo Santoro Starrer “Heleno” At The Miami International Film Festival New York, NY / Miami, Fl —March 7, 2012—Suzanne Blech, President of Screen Media Films, announced today that Screen Media has acquired North American rights for “Heleno” after its very successful screening at the Miami International Film Festival, produced and presented by Miami Dade College. Screen Media will release the film theatrically in Summer 2012. A biography of the tragic life of one of...
- 3/7/2012
- by Nigel M Smith
- Indiewire
"Heleno," a biopic about Brazilian soccer star Heleno de Freitas, will be released in North America this summer by Screen Media Films, the company said Wednesday. The movie stars Rodrigo Santoro ("What to Expect When You're Expecting," "300") as the legendary athlete. Jose Henrique Fonseca directed the movie, which Felipe Braganca, Fernando Castets and Jose Henrique Fonseca wrote. Eduardo Pop and Rodrigo Teixeira produced through their Rt Features. Also read: Screen Media Sets 2012 Slate Screen Media acquired the movie at the Miami International Film Festival. "We are thrilled to bring such an exquisite film...
- 3/7/2012
- by Joshua L. Weinstein
- The Wrap
Heleno picked up by Screen Media at Miami International Film Festival. Screen Media has acquired North American rights to the film starring Rodrigo Santoro, after a successful screening at the Miami International Film Festival, announced President of Screen Media Films nm2518335 autoSuzanne Blech[/link] today. Pic produced and presented by Miami Dade College will find theatrical release in Summer this year and is a biography of the tragic life of one of Brazil's greatest soccer players, Heleno de Freitas. Santoro plays the title character, a legend whose career shone briefly, but brightly, through the 1940s. José Henrique Fonseca directs from the script by Felipe Bragança, Fernando Castets and José Henrique Fonseca.
- 3/7/2012
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Heleno picked up by Screen Media at Miami International Film Festival. Screen Media has acquired North American rights to the film starring Rodrigo Santoro, after a successful screening at the Miami International Film Festival, announced President of Screen Media Films nm2518335 autoSuzanne Blech[/link] today. Pic produced and presented by Miami Dade College will find theatrical release in Summer this year and is a biography of the tragic life of one of Brazil's greatest soccer players, Heleno de Freitas. Santoro plays the title character, a legend whose career shone briefly, but brightly, through the 1940s. José Henrique Fonseca directs from the script by Felipe Bragança, Fernando Castets and José Henrique Fonseca.
- 3/7/2012
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Heleno picked up by Screen Media at Miami International Film Festival. Screen Media has acquired North American rights to the film starring Rodrigo Santoro, after a successful screening at the Miami International Film Festival, announced President of Screen Media Films nm2518335 autoSuzanne Blech[/link] today. Pic produced and presented by Miami Dade College will find theatrical release in Summer this year and is a biography of the tragic life of one of Brazil's greatest soccer players, Heleno de Freitas. Santoro plays the title character, a legend whose career shone briefly, but brightly, through the 1940s. José Henrique Fonseca directs from the script by Felipe Bragança, Fernando Castets and José Henrique Fonseca.
- 3/7/2012
- Upcoming-Movies.com
As noted in previous lineup announcement entries, (Visions, Wavelengths, Future Projections, Galas and Special Presentations), the Toronto International Film Festival (September 9 through 18) has released some of its most anticipated lineups today. We're taking them one at a time, first posting them program by program with descriptions provided by the festival — and then returning over the coming hours and days to add links and further notes. Here's the lineup for the Contemporary World Cinema program.
Karim Aïnouz's The Silver Cliff. A phone message from her husband propels Violeta into the streets of Rio until sunrise. Telling their teenage son that a last minute trip has come up, she sets out to find her husband. Rio at night is her sole companion as she struggles to face his abrupt and sudden change of heart, but the beach also provides renewal, unexpected meetings and a window to a whole other world.
Ozcan Alper's Future Lasts Forever.
Karim Aïnouz's The Silver Cliff. A phone message from her husband propels Violeta into the streets of Rio until sunrise. Telling their teenage son that a last minute trip has come up, she sets out to find her husband. Rio at night is her sole companion as she struggles to face his abrupt and sudden change of heart, but the beach also provides renewal, unexpected meetings and a window to a whole other world.
Ozcan Alper's Future Lasts Forever.
- 8/16/2011
- MUBI
Tiff has just announced the final batch of films slated to hit the fest in September. The number of additions is overwhelming. We just posted the complete line-up for the Gala and Special Presentation programs. Now comes the massive wave of movies in the Contemporary World Cinema program. Here is the press release.
Toronto – The Contemporary World Cinema programme delivers 51 cinematic gems from around the globe at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival®. Offering a variety of filmmakers’ voices and perspectives from around the world, the lineup draws from Brazil, China, South Africa, France, Iran, Morocco, the Netherlands, Israel, Portugal, Russia, Canada and more. This snapshot of global trends in cinema also features the North American premieres of new films by directors such as Andrey Zvyagintsev, Gerardo Naranjo, Sion Sono, Asghar Farhadi, Karim Ainouz, Ole Christian Madsen and Cristián Jiménez
Always Brando Ridha Béhi, Tunisia
World Premiere
After meeting Anis Raache,...
Toronto – The Contemporary World Cinema programme delivers 51 cinematic gems from around the globe at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival®. Offering a variety of filmmakers’ voices and perspectives from around the world, the lineup draws from Brazil, China, South Africa, France, Iran, Morocco, the Netherlands, Israel, Portugal, Russia, Canada and more. This snapshot of global trends in cinema also features the North American premieres of new films by directors such as Andrey Zvyagintsev, Gerardo Naranjo, Sion Sono, Asghar Farhadi, Karim Ainouz, Ole Christian Madsen and Cristián Jiménez
Always Brando Ridha Béhi, Tunisia
World Premiere
After meeting Anis Raache,...
- 8/16/2011
- by Kyle Reese
- SoundOnSight
After three separate announcements (here, here and here), the Toronto International Film Festival has announced the final line-up for their Galas and Special Presentations, as well as a few other categories. Most notable is Andrea Arnold‘s Fish Tank follow-up Wuthering Heights, the next film from Timecrimes director Nacho Vigalondo, as well as Dogtooth director Yorgos Lanthimos’ Alps.
We also get Whit Stillman‘s Damsels in Distress starring Greta Gerwig and Geoffrey Fletcher’s Violet & Daisy starring Saoirse Ronan and James Gandolfini. In what should be a little fun we have Gary McKendry‘s Killer Elite starring Robert De Niro, Clive Owen and Jason Statham. We also get Owen’s horror flick Intruders and Joel Schumacher‘s Trespass starring Nicole Kidman and Nicolas Cage. Check out the full line-ups below.
Galas
Closing Night Film
Page Eight David Hare, United Kingdom
International Premiere
Johnny Worricker (Bill Nighy) is a long-serving M15 officer.
We also get Whit Stillman‘s Damsels in Distress starring Greta Gerwig and Geoffrey Fletcher’s Violet & Daisy starring Saoirse Ronan and James Gandolfini. In what should be a little fun we have Gary McKendry‘s Killer Elite starring Robert De Niro, Clive Owen and Jason Statham. We also get Owen’s horror flick Intruders and Joel Schumacher‘s Trespass starring Nicole Kidman and Nicolas Cage. Check out the full line-ups below.
Galas
Closing Night Film
Page Eight David Hare, United Kingdom
International Premiere
Johnny Worricker (Bill Nighy) is a long-serving M15 officer.
- 8/16/2011
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
Exclusive: After winning the Best Original Screenplay Oscar for The King's Speech, David Seidler has committed to another WWII-era inspirational story. He will team with Italian writer Luca Manzi to script Games of 1940 for producers Kennedy/Marshall Company and Rt Features. The drama is based on the true tale of a group of multinational POWs in a Nazi prison camp who decide to compete against each other in their own version of the Olympics after the 1940 games were canceled due to the escalating war. They risked their lives to stage the games under the noses of the guards. Seidler and Manzi have collaborated in the past, and they came across the event while touring a Polish sports museum. Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy will produce for Kennedy/Marshall Company along with Rt Features' Rodrigo Teixeira and Fernando Loureiro. Brazil-based Rt Features is funding development. The company, which produced the...
- 3/23/2011
- by MIKE FLEMING
- Deadline
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