Trivia

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 Galaxy Quest (1999) on Bill Paxton's performance in James Cameron's classic Aliens (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 Jarhead (2005) in one day. His scenes were later deleted.

Told Carson Daly in a talk-show appearance that he dropped out of G.I. Jane (1997) because he didn't want to get cold filming the nighttime SCUBA scenes.

Improvised most of his lines in Made (2001).

Close friends with actor Justin Long and Jonathan Togo.

Is one of 13 actors to win the Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Critics' Choice Award, Golden Globe Award and SAG Award for the same performance. The others in chronological order are: Geoffrey Rush for Shine (1996), Jamie Foxx for Ray (2004), Philip Seymour Hoffman for Capote (2005), Forest Whitaker for The Last King of Scotland (2006), Javier Bardem for No Country for Old Men (2007), Daniel Day-Lewis for There Will Be Blood (2007) and Lincoln (2012), Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight (2008), Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds (2009), Christopher Plummer for Beginners (2010), J.K. Simmons for Whiplash (2014), Leonardo DiCaprio for The Revenant (2015), and Gary Oldman for Darkest Hour (2017).

Attended high school in San Francisco with Margaret Cho and Aisha Tyler.

Friends with Laurel Holloman. Cousin of Aaron Rockwell.

Friends with (but not related to) director Alexandre Rockwell and has appeared in four of his films: In the Soup (1992), Louis & Frank (1998), Somebody to Love (1994) and 13 Moons (2002).

Nominated for a 2019 Academy Award in the Best Supporting Actor category for his role as George W. Bush in Vice (2018) but lost to Mahershala Ali for Green Book (2018).

Had a minor appearance in Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988) but his role was removed from the final cut. The scene was the one of the "lover's lane" of sorts, when the Terenzi brothers drive up in their ice cream truck.

His maternal grandmother, Betty J. (Moore) Davis (1917-2007), was a drama teacher. She had acted in plays, lived in The Gestalt Fool theatre commune in San Francisco, and was an adjunct lecturer of Speech Communication at LaGuardia Community.

Has English, German, Irish, and distant Dutch ancestry.

Worked as a bicycle delivery boy for a Mexican restaurant specializing in burritos.

Was one of the two choices that Duncan Jones had for the part of Sam Bell in his directorial debut Moon (2009). His original choice was Paddy Considine and Rockwell was his second. Considine turned down the role and Rockwell was ultimately cast. Rockwell is a big fan of Considine and in particular of his work with director Shane Meadows in A Room for Romeo Brass (1999) and Dead Man's Shoes (2004).

As of 2021, he has appeared in five films that were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: The Green Mile (1999), Frost/Nixon (2008), Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017), Vice (2018), and Jojo Rabbit (2019).

Is an only child of actor Pete Rockwell and Penny Hess.

Nominated for the 2019 Golden Globe Award in the Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture category for his role as George W. Bush in Vice (2018), but lost to Mahershala Ali for Green Book (2018).

Parents separated when he was five years old.

Boyfriend of Leslie Bibb. Ex-boyfriend of Sarita Choudhury.

Born at 4:07 AM (PST).