Actor best when he portrays the worst

Giovanni Ribisi isn’t the tallest actor in Hollywood — nor the most muscular.

When they want someone who scares people, however, directors often call him.

James Cameron tapped Ribisi to play an evil bureaucrat in Avatar (2009) — one willing to destroy the Na’vi civilization to obtain the mineral that his company needs.

In the recent The Rum Diary, he portrays a drug addict and Nazi sympathizer.

And in Contraband, opening Friday in theaters, Ribisi is seen as Tim Briggs, a ruthless ex-convict who terrorizes people when he doesn’t get what he wants.

After financing a failed drug deal, he forces the brother-in-law (Mark Wahlberg) of the young man who botched the plan to repay the money.

His actions include beating up the wife (Kate Beckinsale) of the Wahlberg character.

“From his point of view, Briggs is just trying to make ends meet,” said Ribisi, 37. “He just got out of Angola, the work farm in New Orleans, and he has a child he’s trying to look after. He’ll do anything to protect her.”

As an actor, Ribisi has to grasp the perspectives of even the worst characters he plays.

“You have to understand how this guy is trying to survive,” he said. “It’s not about having a morality conflict or thinking, ‘Oh, he’s a bad guy.’ A lot of people will consciously make themselves as terrifying and ruthless as possible, as a protective measure. They do it especially when they go to prison.

“I watched a bunch of documentaries and reality-TV shows that interviewed prisoners — maybe 30 or 40 hours of interviews.”

After absorbing the information, Ribisi decided to portray Briggs as “the boogeyman.”

“The best thing about building a character is focusing on yourself and being selfish. You can tear away what’s unimportant.”

Which isn’t always easy.

“To be a young actor is horrible,” Ribisi said. “You’re so stressed. You’re a public figure. The smallest thing, if it’s off, could be so detrimental, embarrassing and awful. The older I get, the more I try to be patient with myself. But there’s a part of me that wants to be neurotic again."

He has a quarter-century of experience to fall back on: An actor since he was 10, Ribisi made his professional bow with a bit part on Highway to Heaven (1985). He went on to appear in small roles in several dozen series, including The New Leave It to Beaver (1985-89), Married .?.?. With Children (1987-89) and The Wonder Years (1992-93). His most eye-catching performance early on was his recurring role as Phoebe’s dim brother, Frank Jr., on Friends (1995-2003).

All along, though, his eye was on the big screen.

“I grew up during the blockbuster era of Hollywood, when movies were becoming these massive institutions,” Ribisi said. “It was the era of Star Wars and The Godfather.”

He is the same age as Leonardo DiCaprio, who also grew up in Los Angeles and began acting as a kid. But he said he has eschewed DiCaprio’s hard-partying lifestyle.

“I kept to myself,” he said. “I also was very into guitar playing, and that requires selfish discipline to get good at. I had this regimen for myself. After I did everything, I’d just come home and practice. Sometimes that would be eight hours a day.”

After establishing himself as a reliable TV presence, Ribisi began landing film work. He played a medic in Saving Private Ryan (1998), a shady stockbroker in Boiler Room (2000) and a celebrity photographer in Lost in Translation (2003).

Next on his docket is Gangster Squad. Starring Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, the film is set in Los Angeles in the 1950s and focuses on police attempts to keep the East Coast Mafia out of the city.

“It’s loosely based — very loosely based — on real events and real individuals,” Ribisi said. “ Just to make it black and white, I’m one of the good guys, or trying to be. My character, Con Keeler, is based on two or three different fellows.”

For Contraband, Ribisi focused on the connection between Briggs and his daughter. He has a 14-year-old daughter, Lucia, with his ex-wife, actress Mariah O’Brien.

“There’s a classic good-vs.-evil scenario,” Ribisi said, “but, for me, it’s a lot more interesting to have the gray areas.”