, promoting
300: Rise of an Empire In 1993, while studying Journalism at
PUC-Rio, Santoro entered the Actor's Workshop of
Rede Globo. He went on to play parts in many of Globo's
telenovelas, such as
Olho no Olho (1993),
Pátria Minha (1994),
Explode Coração (1995),
O Amor Está no Ar (1997),
Suave Veneno (1999) and
Mulheres Apaixonadas (2003), as well as the miniseries
Hilda Furacão (1998), in the role of a priest. Santoro also voiced the titular character in
Stuart Little and its sequel
Stuart Little 2 in the Brazilian-dubbed versions. His first major role in a film production came in 2001, with
Bicho de Sete Cabeças (
Brainstorm) from Brazilian director Laís Bodansky. By the end of the film, he received a standing ovation from the audience. He also went on to win the festival's best actor trophy. After
Bicho, his reputation as an actor had been solidified and he was cast as the male lead in
Abril Despedaçado (
Behind the Sun), one of the nominees for best foreign film in the 2002
Golden Globe Awards. In the 2003
Hector Babenco film
Carandiru, he played Lady Di, a
transgender prisoner. American director
Robert Allan Ackerman signed Santoro for his TV production
The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone after being mesmerized by his performance in
Bicho de Sete Cabeças. Since Santoro did not have an agent in North America, Ackerman contacted Santoro's father. He spent two months filming in Rome, alongside such actors as
Helen Mirren and
Anne Bancroft. Soon after he finished shooting for
Mrs. Stone, he received an offer from
Columbia Pictures for a part in the blockbuster ''
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle. This role kick-started his career in Hollywood. After Charlie's Angels'', he played Karl, an enigmatic chief designer and the love interest of
Laura Linney's character, in the romantic comedy
Love Actually. Santoro began obtaining work in the advertising business as he appeared in a commercial campaign with
Gisele Bündchen in 2002. He played the male lead in
No. 5 The Film, a three-minute-long commercial for
Chanel, directed by
Baz Luhrmann alongside
Nicole Kidman in 2004. In 2006, Santoro joined the
season three cast of the
ABC television series
Lost as
Paulo, a survivor of the
Oceanic Flight 815 crash. His first appearance was in the episode "
Further Instructions", and his character was killed off in the episode "
Exposé". He also voiced the character in the Brazilian-dubbed version of the series. Santoro was cast as
Persian emperor
Xerxes in
Zack Snyder's film
300 (2006), based on the
Frank Miller comic of the same name. The job had many special requirements, which included intensive workout for the physicality of the role (Santoro had previously lost to star in a Brazilian miniseries), extensive
CGI work to portray the 6'2" Santoro as the seven-foot God-King, a four-and-a-half-hour makeup application process and the complete removal of Santoro's body hair first by waxing and then by shaving when waxing proved too painful. His eyebrows were kept intact, however, covered over with
prosthetics and drawn in rather than being shaved. Santoro read the works of
Herodotus, an
Ancient Greek historian, in order to prepare for his part. Regarding Xerxes, he has stated: After playing the footballer
Heleno de Freitas in the 2012 film
Heleno, Santoro co-starred alongside
Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 2013 film
The Last Stand before playing Garriga in the
Will Smith drama film
Focus (2015). Santoro played
Jesus in the 2016
historical action film Ben-Hur and received personal blessings from
Pope Francis for the role. In October of the same year, it was confirmed that the actor would return to soap operas after twelve years in
Velho Chico, written by Benedito Ruy Barbosa, playing the role of protagonist Afrânio in the first phase, alongside Carol Castro. ==Personal life==