Article: Under the hood with Billy Bob - 'Sling Blade' star makes 'U-Turn' with Oliver Stone.

Billy Bob Thornton's brief but high-profile life in the fast lane has taken so many turns that his saga already has the makings of a country tune.

And that's not even including his work as a grotesque mechanic in Oliver Stone's "U-Turn," which opens in Boston Friday.

Thornton is the self-proclaimed hillbilly who found celebrity via "Sling Blade." A virtual unknown less than a year ago, Thornton's startling performance, solid writing and inspired direction made "Sling Blade" the unlikeliest of hits and won him the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar.

Just weeks later, he became a tabloid headliner when he joined a celebrity lineup for Ellen DeGeneres' ...

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