when you find a way to dance in every movie you're in

[Music] DANNY (host): Tom Cruise runs.  Brad Pitt eats. And Sam Rockwell... He dances. A lot. ROCKWELL: "My name is, my  name is Sam Rockwell." DANNY: And if you're not that familiar with who Sam Rockwell really  is, or if he just hasn't been on your actor radar since you were five... ROCKWELL: "You know  I'm talking about. The main--not the main guy, but the other guy." DANNY: Then you might  not be alone. ROCKWELL: "And when you see him you're like, oh this guy. I like  this guy. He's pretty g

ood. Well, thank you. That's me." DANNY: But Rockwell is  one of those rare performers in Hollywood who started at the bottom and managed to carve  out a career as a leading man, without losing his distinction as a character actor.  --"Anyway"-- Rockwell doesn't just play himself. --"What the hell is going on around here?"-- And  that also means that when his characters dance, there's usually a reason. His dancing can  be flirtatious. It can quell an argument. It can embarrass someone. --"Do not

do that. Okay, that's embarrassing. Just stop."-- Or,  it can just be there to show off. [Music] And Sam Rockwell will dance anywhere.  I've seen him dance at parties. On top of trucks. On the moon. Hell,  even the CG characters dance. Sam isn't trained, by the way. His moves  are his moves. And if they're not his moves, then they're borrowed, by watching other actors  in other movies. ROCKWELL: "I just messed around. You know, I watched Risky Business.  That's how I learned how to do the split

s. I watched Footloose. And you know, I  fancied myself a young Kevin Bacon probably, you know." DANNY: And of course... ROCKWELL:  "And then Michael Jackson. Thriller. Beat It." --"Since you, uh, we always  make you dance on the show, because we love you to dance. I want to  do uh..."-- DANNY: Rockwell's dancing has become such a part of his trademark that  he's been made to dance on talk shows... Over title cards... And in 2015, he did  what anybody with his talents ought to do: a music video.

ROCKWELL: "Yes I did, I danced.  And uh, it's an Australian band called Flight Facilities." DANNY: The song is called Down to  Earth, and the video is about as good as it gets. ROCKWELL: "And it's kind of an homage to the  Fatboy Slim Chris Walken [Weapon of Choice]. It's kind of an homage. And I'm not gonna  lie, I'm biting a little Chris, you know." [Music] DANNY: Rockwell's dancing is so good, it's even  been made to reveal a movie's twist. [Music] --"Don't worry about it. I've got somebody"

  "That's okay."-- For the first half, he's the fumbling tech geek, falling in  love with Drew Barrymore's super spy. But when it's time to reveal his true villainy,  it's done with a move of the camera from him... To her... [Music] And Back  Again. [Music] ROCKWELL: "Well, we were trying to have a red herring  in that McG and I discussed how to fool the audience. Kind of do like a... it's kind of like  a Steve Jobs Spike Jones. And then we wanted him to kind of turn into Richard Gere in America

n  Gigolo. Or, you know, Ray Liotta in Something Wild or something. So we we wanted this reveal.  Because we did, like, baggy clothing. And then when we got the bad guy, you know, it's like tight  clothing and, like, dancing, and all this crap. --"Just Dance. Come on. Just Dance."-- DANNY: But  it's one thing when you're just having fun. It's another when you have to imitate someone real.  [Music] Like game show host and maybe CIA assassin Chuck Barris. And, more punishingly, legendary  dance ch

oreographer Bob Fosse. [Music] ROCKWELL: "But uh, there was a lot of elements to playing  Bob. And, early on, the dance scenes... The choreographer brought me together with this young  lady who was a dancer. And I fancied myself a hoofer. And I was kind of cocky about it. And then  I realized quite quickly that I'm not a dancer. Not a professional dancer. And I had a lot of work  to do." DANNY: But here's the thing about when Sam Rockwell does something... --"It's, it's  all me. But Michelle doe

s a lot more dancing." "But there's not a stunt double, as  if that's what you're asking." "No, no stunt double." "It was you." "Yeah."-- So yeah, Sam Rockwell dances.  The only question is, will he ever stop? --"...Around, get down on the ground"-- ROCKWELL: "Well, you  know, it's getting a little repetitive. It's getting a little redundant, so  uh..." DANNY: So what? ROCKWELL: "So I need some new moves." DANNY (laughing): Okay. I'm Danny Boyd. Thank you so  much for watching. [Music]