In 1999, his intense dedication to his craft caused him to gain 58 pounds
to prepare to play a man with Down's Syndrome. The film was postponed
and in the interim, he was cast in
Irmãos de Guerra (2001) where he had two months to lose the weight in order to play a 17-year-old Wild Bill
Guarnere. He went through a brutal routine of fasting and running
6-8 miles a day. Just before filming, a doctor told him that he had done serious damage to his adrenal system.
