While in his final year of drama school, he made his film debut in Shadowlands (1993) after being spotted by Richard Attenborough. He was nominated for Best Actor at the 1995 Venice Film Festival for his performance as a Northern Irish terrorist in Thaddeus O'Sullivan's film, Nothing Personal (1995), and for Best Supporting Actor at the Genies in Toronto for his performance in István Szabó's Sunshine (1999).