Bring up the name Jim Caviezel in a conversation and the response is usually "Jim who?" But mention that swashbuckling swordsman from The Count of Monte Cristo or the handsome stranger who shadowed a female cop (Jennifer Lopez) in Angel Eyes, and most movie fans know instantly who he is.

Now, in 20^th Century Fox’s High Crimes, Caviezel portrays Tom, a military Special Forces member hiding from the law because he’s wanted for murder. Playing opposite Caviezel is Ashley Judd as his wife, a high-powered attorney determined to clear him. She hires Charlie Grimes (Morgan Freeman), a former military attorney to help her.

According to Caviezel, he had no intention of pursuing an acting career while growing up in Washington. Because his major interest was in sports, he played basketball in college. "The transitions started around 1988," he said. " I started doing it (acting) and got better at it, and soon it was less basketball, more acting."

Although he’s played very serious roles in Ride with the Devil, The Thin Red Line and G.I. Jane, Caviezel humorously recalled when a talent scout came to see him in a play in Washington. "I was in a Neil Simon play (Come Blow Your Horn)," he explained. "And she said, ‘I think Jim is talented --- not as a dramatic actor but more a comedic type.’"

Caviezel may be more than willing to play comedy roles, but he’s adamant that any character he takes on should have some redeeming qualities. "When I researched the Green Berets for my role in G.I. Jane, there was a through-line there, a logic. Stuff that’s not talked about that has to be there. For High Crimes I needed Tom’s actions to be believable. You have to listen to the last word that comes out of his mouth. In his work . . . he eventually crosses over lines and other boundaries and starts to preserve and protect himself. There’s a little bit of truth in there, so it seemed right to play it."

Caviezel keeps himself fit but doesn’t miss his athletic life. "I’m making money at this; it’s a living now. I still train, but I swim more than I do basketball. I swim with the masters at UCLA."

Quickly gaining a reputation in Hollywood as a humble, mellow actor who focuses intensely on his roles, Caviezel is sometimes compared in style to the late Jimmy Stewart. In The Count of Monte Cristo, he earned high praise from movie audiences. How does the rising young star feel about such a favorable reception? " I just do my job," he replied. "If people are pleased with it and like it, that’s great. I look at my job as a service, and I really want to make people happy when they go to the theater so they come away with something. I know how I feel when I put out 10 bucks, and then feel like I got robbed."

Caviezel recently completed Madison, which will be out in August. "It’s about hydro-racers and has a lot to do with American values," he said. "It’s like Hoosiers on water!"