The Oscar-nominated actor opened up about his childhood during an interview for the new issue of CR Men’s fashion book, created by former editor-in-chief of Vogue Paris, Carine Roitfeld.
Rockwell, who is up for Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars for his portrayal of former U.S. President George W. Bush in Vice, admitted that his upbringing was a little different than most.
“I’m probably a little eccentric in that I grew up not unlike Chris Walken and Bob Fosse in the entertainment business a little bit,” he explained. “I grew up around theatre and showbiz people, and when you’re brought up in a circus life, it makes you a little off-center.”
However, his girlfriend, fellow actress Leslie Bibb, might disagree. “But if you talk to (her), I’m probably pretty predictable,” the 50-year-old joked.
Rockwell, who won an Academy Award, Golden Globe, SAG Award and BAFTA for his role as a redneck police officer in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, last year (18), credits his eccentricity with helping him be a better actor.
“A good actor is usually pretty neurotic,” he added.
Rockwell stars in Adam McKay’s critically-acclaimed movie Vice, which follows the rise to power of former U.S. Vice President, Dick Cheney, played by Christian Bale.
And the award-winning actor admitted that it was “daunting” playing bumbling politician Bush.
“I saw him as someone who was just in over his head. It’s daunting playing someone that famous, because everyone has an opinion on how he talks… But Bush has an Elvis Presley thing with his lips, and that was key for me,” he said of the Texas native.
