Often described as a dead ringer for Jerry Seinfeld with Kramer hair, Paulo Costanzo made his mark as a movie actor in teen comedies in the early 2000s. Native Canadian Costanzo began performing in high school, starring in his school's production of West Side Story. Further cutting his thespian teeth in Toronto theater, Costanzo subsequently moved to TV roles after high school. Along with such lighter TV movies as The Don's Analyst (1997) and My Date With the President's Daughter (1998), Costanzo played a Jewish teen hiding from the Germans during World War II in Rescuers: Stories of Courage (1997). Adding science fiction to the mix, Costanzo also became a regular on the TV series Animorphs (1998) and Psi Factor (1999).
Costanzo got his major movie break when he was cast as a stoner friend who comes along for the titular expedition in the outrageous comedy hit Road Trip (2000). Continuing to act in high-profile youth-oriented movie projects, Costanzo next played the Pussycats' loyal road manager in the screen adaptation of Josie and the Pussycats (2001). Despite its hyped release and attempts to send up itself and teen-consumer culture, however, Josie and the Pussycats failed to catch on with the target audience. Costanzo had relatively better box-office luck with the romantic comedy 40 Days and 40 Nights (2002). As Josh Hartnett's roommate, Costanzo was on hand to provide humorous commentary regarding Hartnett's quest to abstain from sex for the eponymous time span. In 2004 Costanzo joined the cast of the Friends spin-off Joey,playing none other than Joey's nephew Michael, and three years after that show went off the air he returned to prime-time with a featured role in Royal Pains, which told the tale of a talented doctor who divided his time between makign house calls in the Hamptons, and caring for less-fortunate locals without health care.
