Independent Spirit Benicio Del Toro, once just a usual suspect, charges into the mainstream

Benicio Del Toro looks frightening. It's fitting that his name translates to "of the bull," because right now, he's as intimidating as one. As he drifts in the room, you think for a second that for kicks, some hardened street dude decided to crash the press day for Excess Baggage at this posh Beverly Hills hotel. Donning a blue mechanics jacket, old blue jeans, a CAT hat, and twenty pounds overweight, he looks like he just rolled out from under a car. Then there's the hair--an unruly black nest pouring out of his cap. Where's the suave, clean-cut Benicio we remember from The Usual Suspects, China Moon and The Funeral?

It's a relief to learn that Del Toro's appearance is due to his preparation to flesh out the role of Oscar Acosta, a.k.a. "Dr. Gonzo" in director Terry Gilliam's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Based on author Hunter S. Thompson's literary odyssey, the film also stars Johnny Depp, who has been tapped to play the outlaw journalist. Del Toro starts shooting the project the following Thursday. But right now it's Saturday, and the actor is busy promoting Excess Baggage, his latest foray into studio films (last year's The Fan being his most recent mainstream pic). If you aren't familiar with Del Toro in general, chances are you've caught him in some of his previous work. Most notably, this enigmatic, scene-stealing actor who played the lanky, mumbling Fenster in 1995's The Usual Suspects, and Benny, the coke-sniffing, street urchin pal of the title character in Julian Schnabel's Basquiat. These performances earned him two consecutive Independent Spirit Awards for Best Supporting Actor, an unprecedented feat. Unfortunately, not too many moviegoers caught Abel Ferrara's ultra-dark-and-violent The Funeral last year, in which Del Toro seemed on a level playing field next to Christopher Walken and Christopher Penn, who both delivered Oscar-worthy performances. However, recognition, critically and otherwise, is starting to float Del Toro's way; besides the pair of Spirit Awards on his mantle, he's currently leading man next to mammoth star Alicia Silverstone in Excess Baggage. Though the bull comparison is apt when you sit down next to Del Toro, his mild-mannered, studied, and soft-spoken way puts you at ease. His elocution is slightly clearer than The Usual Suspects' Fenster, though staggered; his thoughts seem to incubate first, then float off of his tongue.

But back to the bull types-specifically, the one named Alicia. Since First Kiss, her new production company, produced the film this was Ms. Silverstone's ship to run--director or no director. While the rumor mill spouts tales of utter conflict between the actress and helmer Marco Brambilla, Del Toro has nothing but the highest praise for his co-star.

"[She's] excellent. I'd work with her anytime. And I don't think I can say that about too many people." When prodded for three words to describe Silverstone, he responds quickly, atypical for this actor. "Strong, strong, strong. She's in there, 20 years old, and she's acting, she's producing, and fighting with everybody for what she really believes in, and she's not being a bully about it. Very righteous. And that's great. And she didn't lose stamina. She kept it up all the way. And good for her." No matter how successful Excess Baggage is, Del Toro's role opposite the hugely popular Silverstone is bound to increase his visibility. But given his maverick film choices in the past, it doesn't seem that he'd ever become some bigheaded Hollywood leading man. A classically trained actor who trained at New York's Circle in The Square Acting School, then the Stella Adler Conservatory and L.A.'s Actors Circle Theater, his roots inform his approach to fame.

"I don't know. You [can] just start feeling like Superman, you know? That's like the whole trap. So I don't pay too much attention to it. So far, it's been good, but I don't really look at it and dwell in it. I don't keep pictures of myself on the wall." And what does he make of the Spirit Awards that have been bestowed on him? "It's great. I put in a lot of effort [on those movies]. It's nice when you take chances. You're leaving yourself open, one way or the other. In the same way, you could fail. It's nice when people recognize [your work]. I'm very... grateful about it. The Independent film awards [are like] the rebel awards show."

So what kind of experiences has he encountered making films that his extensive school background couldn't have possibly prepared him for? "Even when you're acting, it's like life in a way. There's things that are unexpected, unpredictable. So it's just being able to stay in touch and open to whatever's happening around you while you're doing it. In order for that to happen, I think preparation--at least knowing your lines--it's good."

Del Toro has become one of those talents that shifts to and fro, from independent to big-budget films. What is the advantage to this? "[Rubs his thumb and forefingers together, alluding to money] I was quite broke before this movie." But then he backpedals. "Alicia's a big reason why I did this film. I really thought she was great. She's so humble, and down to earth. And that was a big influence." So, for Benicio, money really isn't the issue--at least not the main one. Rather, you get the impression that he revels in the myriad of options his multi-faceted movie choices have afforded him.

"It's always nice to be able to eat surf and turf. It's good to have both. I don't know if I'd do a whole series of studio films-I don't know if I could stay there for too long-but I might do one-they pay well. If you do independent films all the time, you just might go Chapter 11. The problem is, a lot of these independent films, they don't get the back up for distribution. I just saw a film the other day called A Brother's Kiss, and it was a really nice film, the kind where you say, 'why can't they show this film all over the place?' So you can be doing independent films for a long time, and no one sees them. I've been lucky, because I've done some good independent films."

Speaking of "good independent films" (quite the understatement), it's no shock that Del Toro holds a special affection for The Usual Suspects, a film that undeniably afforded him his break-out performance (and actor Kevin Spacey an Oscar). But he's quick to share the credit with his collaborators on that little independent movie that could (and did). "They were all really nice people, the kind of people you introduce to your family. It was magical, really special. Because no one really knew that it was gonna be great. But when you look back, subconsciously we knew, because we were laughing the whole time. Just like riding this wave. No one knew that the film was gonna be any good. We knew the script had a twist. But we were having a great time with each other."

In so many of his roles, Del Toro plays someone either morally challenged and/or capable of violence. But in Excess Baggage, he doubtlessly has his softest character--a car thief for sure, but a sensitive one. The bull elaborates about his newfound vulnerability, and why it's important to regress into an infantile mental state sometimes. "We all have different sides where we can be really angry, or really mean. [But] you take Muhammad Ali. Once upon a time he was a baby. He was little baby kid. So that's some baby mode. I'd suck my thumb late at night [smiles]. Just bring your defenses down. You expose yourself, and it is scary, and it's fun too."

Whether or not his "baby mode" device will influence his preparation as Dr. Gonzo in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas remains to be seen.

For now, he's likely going to have to head into "drug mode." One of the book's most significant themes-rampant drug use--will surely be one of the celluloid version's significant themes, but Del Toro asserted that there's much more to the tome than that.

"The book is about a little bit more than taking dope. It's about how the '60s came to a halt. That was the decade where this country, I think, was trying to define itself--in a good way. And I think in 1968 it all came to a halt. They killed Martin Luther King, and they killed Bobby Kennedy. It all just kind of came to an end right there. And Vietnam went on for four more years. I'd really like to believe that Bobby Kennedy would have stopped the war a little bit earlier. I think he would have. There was something about [the '60s] that was really special. Then the drugs came in, and diffused all that stuff. And even though the book was really about these two guys going to Vegas and taking all these drugs, there is something deeper than just their behavior. I think that's a trick to make a movie work into a different level. This is hard to do. That's the challenge, I think. But in the book, it's easier to achieve, because [Thompson] just talks for hours about the sixties. I've read a lot about [the sixties], and really look at it like, 'Damn. Who are we now?' "

Del Toro feels that the role of Dr. Gonzo, Hunter S. Thompson's sidekick, may just be his most complex yet.

"It's a difficult one--due to many different factors. Every time you think you've got it down, something new comes up. And I have such respect for Hunter S. Thompson's writing, but I still have to do my stuff. But I want to make sure that what I do... I don't want to downshift it--I'd like to keep it there or bring it up. That's my job."

When asked to share his personal politics on drugs, Del Toro is a bit hesitant, though pragmatic. "I don't know. It depends at what time you catch me. I'm not pro-drugs, like; 'drugs are good for the soul.' I don't mean to promote anything. I'm just an actor, you know?"

An avid painter, he tries to pursue his preferred pastime whenever he's able. He's even willing to volunteer the subject matter of his most recent canvas, and how the art form affects him on the whole.

"The last thing I was painting was a television set--I was drawing a square, and putting static in the middle. I don't know, there's just something about painting--when I see the work of a painter, I get moved in an indescribable way. I mean, I see a painting and it moves me so much, I want to go home and paint."

Besides a faculty for brushwork, another trait that Del Toro is blessed with is a sly sense of humor. And when he's queried as to what he finds funny, he has a two-word answer (hint: it's one of his frequent co-stars).

"[Whispering:] Christopher Walken. The way he talks. He can just say something--just sit there and go, 'a glass of red wine.' But the way he says it, it [makes me] fall to the ground. The minute you start hanging out with him, you start talking like him. And it's hard to act that way, when you're so entertained. He [gave] me a piece of advice. He said, 'when you're in a scene, and you don't know what you're gonna do, don't do anything.' And I think that's a really good piece of advice. I don't know if I could do that. I'm still nervous, still a rookie in some ways, compared to him."

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