Now he stars opposite Kevin Bacon and John Goodman in "Death Sentence," playing his first heavy, a gangleader terrorizing a mild-mannered businessman.

Q. In this movie you're not the sidekick, you're the big, bad villain. Did you feel any increased sense of pressure or responsibility stepping up like that?

A. No, not at all. I felt much more motivated and inspired. I've worked with a lot of great actors and I've been able to just sit back and learn from them. Working with them always inspires you to do a great job as well. I was so amped, too, because the character's such a complete opposite from everything else I've played.

Q. Is part of the appeal of a role like this so that nobody can say you're coasting on your good looks?

A. That wasn't the appeal for me. I like the darker films, this kind of content. It was about looking at how to diversify, how to structure things for hopefully a long career. That's what I was looking for. Just different colors.

Q. How long did you have to sit in the makeup chair every day to get that ugly?

A. You had to get into set an hour before everybody else every day to have the tattoos put on. The more interesting part was how long it took to grow out of that bit. You come back to Los Angeles and you look so physically intimidating. My manager wouldn't let me hang around her kids. You have to grow back out of that and remember who you were before doing that film. Because you've just turned into this thug. Everybody's a bit more standoffish.

Q. Was it a kick to shoot guns and lose appendages in a screen shootout ?

A. The guns, that's just great old Minnesota deer hunting there. The appendages - you just never know how much you need those fingers until they're gone. It's a little gruesome. I guess that won't be my mom's favorite onscreen moment of mine. I think Dad and brother might give me a pat on the back. Mom and sister might be a little jaw-dropping. * Source