Chances are good you've already heard of Brazilian troubadour Seu Jorge. But chances are better that's because of his movie roles -- as either the brutal street thug Knockout Ned in 2002's City Of God or a member of Bill Murray's crew in 2004's The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou.

Jorge, 36, spent his childhood working odd jobs in the slums of Rio de Janeiro. In his 20s he was hired as an actor and musician by a university theatre troupe, and by 1996 was a member of a major-label Brazilian pop group.

These days, he's touring in support of his own solo albums. We caught up with Jorge (via e-mail) a few weeks ago:

THE SUN: Did you always know you wanted to entertain people?

SEU JORGE: I loved music from an early age. But because it was totally unrealistic to think you could make a livelihood from entertaining, you never aspired to it, it never entered your mind. I needed to contribute to the weekly income, so really life was from one week to the next -- not, "What does the future hold for me!" It was only when I started acting and singing (at age 20) I then realized that I could possibly make a career from it.

SUN: Are there lessons you learned in the streets that you've been able to apply to show biz?

JORGE: You become very streetwise. I suppose I don't trust people totally (except my family) and I do sometimes live for the moment, because I am never sure what the future may hold.

SUN: You were part of a pop group before landing City Of God. How did you make that transition?

JORGE: When I was homeless it was very scary at night. Gangs would try and set you alight. I was lucky to be given a safe place behind the gates of a theatre ... One thing led to another, and I started to get little acting jobs in some of their plays. I started learning the rudiments of acting and was able to then include what I had learned in my performances in the band.

SUN: How much of your performance in City Of God was based on actual experience?

JORGE: Quite a lot. The movie was a great movie, representing the poverty, violence and drugs of the favelas (Brazilian slums). My only issue was that reality is actually 10 times worse than the movie! The only thing that kept me not going off the rails in such an unstable and volatile environment was the love of my family. They were and still are a rock for me, and I am indebted to them forever.

SUN: We're obsessed with Bill Murray, so we have to ask -- what's he like to work with?

JORGE: Bill Murray is fantastic. He is such a nice man and one of those people that just has a great face that makes you laugh at whatever he does ... As time has moved on my English is much better, so my relationship with Bill Murray gets better. Whenever I perform in New York he comes to see me, which is great.

SUN: Whose idea was it for you to play the David Bowie covers?

JORGE: (Director Wes Anderson) is a great fan and has always wanted David's songs to be in one of his films. I was not really familiar with his music. The only real hit David Bowie had was Let's Dance in Brazil. I had to listen to his songs again and again to get a feel of the songs and then to interpret them in a way that did not get rid of the "Bowieness" of his tracks but to make them different enough for people to sit up and notice.

SUN: Were you nervous about lending your voice to songs that are already so well known?

JORGE: Bowie is an icon for you but not for me. It is like an American artist interpreting Vinicius de Moraes songs and you saying, "Vinicius who?" ... I was pleased David liked my interpretation. It is great from an artistic point of view.

SUN: What will you do with the platform you've achieved and what else should people know about you?

JORGE: The favelas have taught me to take one day at a time. City of God was one step, Life Aquatic was another step, I take days as they come. I love performing, either acting or on stage, and hope that I can carry on being creative to get more and more attention.