He says he dictates his lines monotonously into a recording device to memorize them, so that he won't get used to any particular take without having a chance to think about which speech pattern would suit the character.
He based his performance in Galaxy Quest (1999) on Bill Paxton's performance in James Cameron's classic Aliens (1986). In particular, the hysterical fear of being killed and the mental breakdown he suffers upon seeing a motion detector showing his enemies approaching.
He has been in a long-term relationship with Leslie Bibb since 2007.
He shot his scenes for Jarhead (2005) in a single day. The scenes were later cut.
He improvised most of his lines in Made (2001).
He is one of 13 actors to win the Oscar, BAFTA Award, Critics' Choice Award, Golden Globe Award and SAG Award for the same performance. In chronological order, the others 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).
In a talk-show appearance, he told Carson Daly that he left G. I. Jane (1997) because he didn't want to be cold while shooting the night SCUBA scenes.
He attended high school in San Francisco with Margaret Cho and Aisha Tyler.
He is close friends with actors Justin Long and Jonathan Togo.
His grandmother Betty J. (Moore) Davis (1917-2007) was a drama teacher. She acted in plays, lived in the Gestalt Fool theatre commune in San Francisco and worked as an assistant instructor in Speech Communication at LaGuardia Community College.
He worked as a bicycle delivery person at a Mexican restaurant specializing in burritos.
He has appeared in five films 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).
He is friends with Laurel Holloman. He is Aaron Rockwell's cousin.
He had a small role in Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988), but his role was cut from the final edit. The scene where the Terenzi brothers approach in their ice cream trucks was a kind of "lover's lane" scene.
He is friends with director Alexandre Rockwell (but they are not related) and has appeared in four of his films: In the Soup (1992), Louis & Frank (1998), Somebody to Love (1994) and 13 Moons (2002).
He is of English, German, Irish and distant Dutch descent.
He is the only child of actor Pete Rockwell and Penny Hess.
He was nominated for the 2019 Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role as George W. Bush in Vice (2018), but lost to Mahershala Ali for Green Book (2018).
He was one of two options for the role of Sam Bell in Moon (2009), Duncan Jones's directorial debut. His first choice was Paddy Considine, and Rockwell was his second. Considine turned the role down and Rockwell was ultimately cast. Rockwell is a big fan of Considine's work and especially of his films with director Shane Meadows, A Room for Romeo Brass (1999) and Dead Man's Shoes (2004).
He is Leslie Bibb's boyfriend. He is Sarita Choudhury's ex-boyfriend.
He was nominated for the 2019 Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture for his role as George W. Bush in Vice (2018), but lost to Mahershala Ali for Green Book (2018).
His parents separated when he was five years old.
He was born at 4:07 a.m. (PST).