The sixth of Mel Gibson’s seven kids with ex-wife Robyn Denise Moore and big brother to step siblings with Oksana Grigorieva and current girlfriend Rosalind Ross, Milo is tackling his first major big screen role as notorious mobster Al Capone in Gangster Land.
But his route on the road towards stardom has been circuitous. After graduating from high school in Malibu, Milo became a private massage therapist. A couple years later he teamed up with a friend and worked as an electrician.
“It’s very scary to make that change,” he says of switching careers. “But one day it hit me that I don’t want to turn 50 and regret not trying something I have a passion for.”
His first role was a small part playing a soldier in Hacksaw Ridge, which his dad directed in a comeback after years of controversy. “We had a lot of fun, but it was a professional relationship,” Milo says. “It was amazing watching Mel direct; he’s pretty damn good at it.”
Now, Milo is stealing the show as Capone in Gangster Land. “When I got offered the part it was kind of a no brainer,” he says. “I just thought it’d so much fun to jump into his shoes and be that kind of psychotic, nobody-can-touch-you type guy.”
In the exclusive clip above, Milo channels Capone’s intellectual side as he flips an interrogation around on two police detectives and dismantles their arguments about Prohibition.
Moving forward, Milo says he’s open to exploring all types of roles. As a former high school football player, he says, “Action comes naturally,” adding, “and it runs in the family a little bit.”
This article originally appeared on PEOPLE