Rodrigo Santoro is one of Brazil’s most talented veteran actors, with sterling credentials going back to the ’90s, but it’s only in recent years that his name has gone international.

And how: From being hit on by Cameron Diaz in Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle to being the super sweet love interest of Laura Linney in Love Actually, from playing Fidel Castro’s brother in Che to fighting alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Last Stand, Santoro has packed a wide range of Hollywood films under his belt.

But it is playing the villain Xerxes in the blockbuster epic 300 that cemented the 38-year-old’s place in Tinseltown. It’s a role he takes up again in 300: Rise Of An Empire, which opens here tomorrow, and is set to prove that his career is about more than just looking really hot in a bunch of movies.

Q: How does the sequel relate to the first 300?

A: Well, I’m going to describe it not as a sequel, but, as we like to call it, a companion film because there are different cameras and different angles of what is happening at the same time as the first film. In a way, it’s really an experience that helps the audience understand and visualise the size and scope of those battles.

It really gives the word “epic” new meaning in the way we explain how big those empires were. It’s definitely a fresh story that introduces some new characters, as well as the characters that you saw in the first film. The battlefield is also entirely different because now we’re at sea. We shot it all on green screen, so you don’t really have an idea of how it’s going to look like until it finally comes together. When I recently saw the film, I was very impressed. I think that it’s not only as good as the first film, but it’s been enhanced because technology is constantly evolving. The film has something fresh about it, even the quality of the details has caught my attention. It’s exciting.

But what really spoke to me, especially from the point of view of an actor in the film, is the way the story was told. I was following the story while also connecting to storylines from the first film. And I thought it was really well done and smart to tie the two films together that way.

Q: What was it like to return to your character Xerxes?

A: I’ve never done that before, to revisit a character. It was a big challenge, especially after six years. But I thought that could be interesting. I really understood what the challenge was when I had a conversation with Zack (Snyder, co-writer/producer), and he explained to me how he wanted to have a back story for Xerxes and how we could meet him before he was a god-king. I think (that’s) the beautiful thing about this film. And two of the new characters — Darius, which is the great king, his father, and Artemisia — are very important not only to the film, but in understanding Xerxes. I think they reflect Xerxes’ personality and help the audience understand his inner conflicts and his inner world.

In this movie, I had a chance to explore even more of his emotional side, the psychological aspect, in trying to bring more dimension to the character and in making him more human. I thought the god-king being humanised was very interesting, especially in the relationship with Artemisia.

It’s interesting because it’s sort of like a love-hate relationship. She’s like a stepsister, but not really, and there’s a lot to play with between them. I think they complement each other. I never thought that one of these characters was stronger than the other. I think they have different strengths and the same power structure, and they have to learn how to deal with each other and become one. But you do have two very strong characters facing each other and having to deal with each other, which is great material.

Q: What was it like to work with Eva Green and what does she bring to Artemisia?

A: It was great! She’s an incredible actress and really talented, and I remember that she had a very clear vision of Artemisia from the beginning. I think she brought a great quality to this female heroic figure. It could easily fall into a place where it’s not really believable, but she was able to fit right in, and I think that’s a testament to Eva and the directors and producers. It is a collective collaboration.

Artemisia is embraced by the film and becomes part of it in a very organic way. She is a new character, but had to belong to the greater story being told and I think that’s very challenging. So I thought that was very well done. I was completely into the film, and it felt like she was a part of it from the very beginning.

Q: What was it like for you to put that regal god-king outfit back on and did you have to do any training for this film?

A: Oh, yes. Training? (Laughs) A lot of training! This is probably the hardest one. A lot of work — physical work, a strict diet, working out — because it’s required for the character. You just have to make it clear that it’s not a case of, ‘I want to look good’. The character is a god-king and needs to look like a god-king on Earth. So it was required. I worked out in a very specific way — not to be buff! It was more about alignment and elegance, and god-like characteristics that we have in the collective consciousness of the Greek gods and all that.

Then I had a long make-up process, which was a good five hours every day, plus an hour-and-a-half to two hours to remove everything. So I was the first one to arrive on set and the last one to leave. Plus, I’m acting most of the time by myself in order to accomplish the effect that I’m a giant. So it was a lot of work, but the wardrobe also plays a big part of it because of its very unique look. It’s definitely part of the character.

So it was interesting to put it back on again. This time I knew how it would feel, but it was still different. I’m playing the same character and had to match what I’d done before, because we are in the same time frame. But it was very interesting to be able to now explore more of his internal world and more of the little details. It was like reconnecting with somebody that I knew back then and now he’s back here. It was very interesting.TRANSCRIPT COURTESY OF WARNER BROS

300: Rise Of An Empire opens in cinemas tomorrow