It was announced a month or two ago that Brazilian actor Rodrigo Santoro would be starring in the upcoming season of the American TV series Lost. (What's funny is that Lost producers are hyping Santoro as the "Brazilian Tom Cruise" -- considering recent events, is Tom Cruise an actor whose career they really want to evoke?) After a non-speaking cameo in Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle and a role in Love Actually, Santoro is clearly trying to carve out a career for himself in the lucrative Hollywood market.

The unfortunate Tom Cruise analogy aside, Santoro really is as popular as Lost producers claim he is in Brazil. He starred in Walter Salles' scorcher Abril Despedaçado (Behind the Sun), the box-office smash Carandiru, and the award-winning Bicho de Sete Cabeças (Brainstorm), among other films and several novelas on television. More than just a heartthrob, he's gained respect as one of Brazil's most talented young actors.

So it will be interesting to see how Santoro fares in foreign waters, because it seems like he is willing to trade in his credibility with the critics for some mainstream international appeal. I hope for Santoro's sake that he speaks English well (I've only seen him speak Portuguese) - an accent can be a crippler. And just like any other minority in Hollywood, getting past the ethnic clichés and cultural stereotypes (Latin Lover?) to meatier characters takes not only talent, but also luck. The most recent role model for Latin American actors making a name in the U.S. is Gael García Bernal. Given that Santoro's name is virtually unknown outside of Brazil, though, Santoro will probably have to rely on his good looks to get him roles in the short term.

I'm not the only one interested in seeing if Santoro can make it abroad -- in a newspaper column entitled "Nossos" atores vencerão nos EUA? (Will "Our" Actors Win in the US?), Bia Abramo wondered about Santoro and Brazilians cheering for their actors abroad as a way to compensate for the country's "almost pathetic" hopes that a Brazilian film will win (or even be nominated for) an Academy Award. Interestingly, she noted that many Almodóvar actors managed to open the door into Hollywood, and Brazilian actors seem to be approaching the American market through television (Santoro on Lost; Bruno Campos on Nick/Tuck; Sonia Braga on Sex and the City). Santoro's advantage is that Lost isn't a niche show on cable, it's a huge success worldwide. That's as good as exposure as any Brazilian actor can ask for.