If we believed that Javier Bardem pigeonholed in his villain roles, now his career opens up to a new dimension. In his latest movie, ‘Lilo, my friend the crocodile’, he surprises us with a character who sings and dances alongside a beautiful reptile with the voice of Shawn Mendes, who has the ability to express himself through music. The movie will hit theaters on Friday, October 21.
Going back to the beginning… we first saw him sing ‘Make ‘Em Laugh’ from ‘Cantando Under the Rain’ in ‘Boca a boca’.
Exactly the same! Not only that, she also sang ‘Por el amor de una mujer’ by Julio Iglesias in ‘Huevos de oro’.
And now what happened for you to revisit this hidden aspect?
It’s true that I started out singing in three movies in a row: ‘The Little Mermaid’ (live-action of the Disney classic directed by Rob Marshall and starring King Triton, still waiting to be released), ‘Ser los Ricardos’ (for this Oscar nominated) and now this. So let’s see what it is, why it happens. Well, I didn’t ask myself too much, I just thought, if life put it there, I should take advantage of it. There is also the weight of my children who cannot watch my movie because they are small, think about it. What should I write to them saying, ‘This is not a country for the elderly’? I think they’re a little short of that (laughs). That’s why they’re going to see me on screen for the first time, and the truth is I’m excited about it. Even though I’m scared too!
You can tell how much fun he had while making this movie.
Dude if you jump into this pool you have to swim and dive, go backwards and it’s in butterfly mode. If you’re going to get wet, do it accordingly. And it was important to enjoy it, because the character is pure pleasure, a man with a great passion for what he does and willing to share it with others, so doubts, conflicts or whatever had to be set aside. My favorite thing about him was that he always had a smile on his face and it looked good to be able to throw that energy at me during these times. It’s great that this turns into music on the go and that people and kids can see and enjoy it. And also the most ‘cute’ with a crocodile.
Did this role come at a time in your career when you needed to have fun?
It’s true that I don’t care what people think anymore. Translators need a space where they can express themselves. You don’t always have the opportunity to make great movies, but you can better reach the public through others. In that sense, being able to film with Aaron Sorkin and a crocodile is a big deal. Seems like luxury to me. On the one hand, impressive texts alongside a wonderful actress like Nicole Kidman, on the other hand, incredible musical compositions by the ‘The Greatest Showman’ responsibles singing with the crocodile. I hold both And one should not be underestimated in the face of the other.
Also, Josh Gordon, the directors of ‘Lilo, my friend the crocodile’, and Will Speck, who debuted with the modern comedy classic ‘Slip to Glory’. Now do you see yourself wearing tights like Will Ferrer in that movie?
Look, when I said no to Steven Spielberg’s ‘Minority Report’, I wanted to shoot ‘Mondays in the Sun’. Also because at the time I didn’t consider myself ready to make an English movie (which I couldn’t speak at the time) nor action sci-fi, which was not my thing. If they had sent me that script now, I wouldn’t have thought for two seconds and I’m sure I would have had a great time jumping off roofs as a robot.
In this sense, is there a time for everything?
Definitely. Ten years ago I still thought I was a very serious actor to do certain things (he makes an intense gesture and laughs). But hey, getting in front of a team and doing a musical number is nothing serious. And I just, because the crocodile doesn’t exist, they put it in special effects later. But in this type of production, the precision you must have with every movement, every step, is something I’ve never experienced before. Sometimes we believe that the most intense is the hardest, and that is not true.
what is your worst enemy cinema behind Pandemic?
The platforms are great, but there’s also too much content that goes unnoticed, and an excess of movies (or content, as they say) can have a tired, tiring effect. What do I see at the end? And you spend an hour searching and you see nothing. And I think the worst enemy is not being able to decide without thinking you’re going to see something, feeling like you’re going to miss out on something else, like the latest great show of the moment. This hasn’t happened before, you had five movies and now you have to decide between fifty movies. And there are fifty more in a month. And it has to do with the culture we live in, the fear of not being able to be part of the conversation.
Do you have FOMO (Fear of Losing) or a fear of missing something?
I’m trying not to take it, I’m 53 years old and that has never been a part of my life. But I see it in my children and I see it in the adults around me too. We’re going too fast, and it affects everything, how we consume things and how those things consume us.