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ctor Javier Bardem is used to accolades. He has enough
Goyas - the Spanish Oscar - to serve as legs for a cof-
fee table. And he has been showered with attention
since bursting onto the international scene with "Before
Night Falls" in 2000.
Now he has turned blood cold as a relentless assassin in the
Coen brothers drama "No Country for Old Men" while warm-
ing hearts in the romance "Love in the Time of Cholera," a de-
cades-spanning adaptation of the Gabriel Garcia Marquez mas-
terpiece. Earlier this year, he starred in Milos Forman's drama
"Goya's Ghosts," and coming up is Woody Allen's "Vicky Cristi-
na Barcelona," due next year.
And the buzz sunounding Bardem for :
his chillingly focused portrayal of enig-
matic hit man Anton Chigurh in "Ne :
Country" means he'll be busy working the :
awards circuit for months to come Hap-
pily, living overseas helps the 38-year-old :
actor keep it in perspective
"The facl thal l m from Spain gives me
a perspective that is more sane," says Bar-
dem, a member of an acting dynasty that's l
the Spanish equivalent ofthe Barrymores.
"i can lputl myself in a place that is more :
distmt from all the things that may go
around this movie or any other movie It's
like a hutricme of echoes that you don't i
want to listen to."
Bardem notes of course that the atten- |
tion on him helps the films gain an audi- i
ence And,ofcourse,noactorshiesfrom i
the spotlight
"l have my ego, jusl like anyone else,"
says Bardem with good humor, "Atd I'm
an actol so I have extra ofthat But I can't .
Iose the logic of knowing that lan award] :
can't be the goal I couldn't get out of bed i Country' is a slmbolic idea of violence,
if I had to constantly think about what is 1 Florentino is a slmbolc idea of imane
the best thing to do in order to be liked love: He's unreal
by others You just do your thing with "Marquez chose Florentino to make
your limitations and sometimes you hit us realize the huge, wide-open land-
the note, and sometimes you are totally scape ofwhat love means and represents
mong the suffering and joy of it in one person's
"When you feel people have a response soul And that was a challenging thing to
towhatyou'vedone,youfeelhappy.But I do"
I truly believe that perfoming is a need. Just as challenging as being in that
I know a lot of actors and actresses; my ; Woody A.llen movie?
mother is an actress It's a need- but it "Working with Woody is
doesn't mean you need to be approved for , amzing," says Bardem,
what you do Sometimes that might hap- , who plays a painter, his
pen and sometimes it might not happen ' first passion until he re-
It's not imDortant What's imDortant is to : alized he wouldn't be
go and act " as accomplished on
For Bardem, playing the almost fanati- the canvas as on the
cally devout lover Florentino in "Cholera" screen.
was especlall.y impofiant. "lt's really, really
"It was a book I read when I was 14, a unique experience
which is a little 1'ounti to understand
what s in that." savs Bardem "It ma(because it goes fast,Eo
=
C
6
!
c
o3uz
t
rooN
a
!
E
o
o
!
qwhat s in that," says It made man lt goes really
a deep impression on me Afler that. I fasf You have to be
read it trvo times morel When I realized really prepared and
a rnovie was beinB made, I really want- not ovefihink it too
ed to read llhe screenplayl Ot course, no much, and at the same
scrrpt can match zr masterpiece of a book, time you have jewels
that's impossible. But it grabbed fhe.e_s.- - - . in)our mouth because."tn3:l:: L"*i"" .n,*,n * .,,{J f i4 I I eg"*.$e$ds{+**$$&$EJavier Bardem stars as a life-long
romantic in "Love in the Time of
Cholera" (top l.) and as a relentless
assassin in "No Country for Old Men."
s,{jtelt, 4t th9 AFI test in L.A,,last month.
Photo by Apega/AbacauSA com
Goyas - the Spanish Oscar - to serve as legs for a cof-
fee table. And he has been showered with attention
since bursting onto the international scene with "Before
Night Falls" in 2000.
Now he has turned blood cold as a relentless assassin in the
Coen brothers drama "No Country for Old Men" while warm-
ing hearts in the romance "Love in the Time of Cholera," a de-
cades-spanning adaptation of the Gabriel Garcia Marquez mas-
terpiece. Earlier this year, he starred in Milos Forman's drama
"Goya's Ghosts," and coming up is Woody Allen's "Vicky Cristi-
na Barcelona," due next year.
And the buzz sunounding Bardem for :
his chillingly focused portrayal of enig-
matic hit man Anton Chigurh in "Ne :
Country" means he'll be busy working the :
awards circuit for months to come Hap-
pily, living overseas helps the 38-year-old :
actor keep it in perspective
"The facl thal l m from Spain gives me
a perspective that is more sane," says Bar-
dem, a member of an acting dynasty that's l
the Spanish equivalent ofthe Barrymores.
"i can lputl myself in a place that is more :
distmt from all the things that may go
around this movie or any other movie It's
like a hutricme of echoes that you don't i
want to listen to."
Bardem notes of course that the atten- |
tion on him helps the films gain an audi- i
ence And,ofcourse,noactorshiesfrom i
the spotlight
"l have my ego, jusl like anyone else,"
says Bardem with good humor, "Atd I'm
an actol so I have extra ofthat But I can't .
Iose the logic of knowing that lan award] :
can't be the goal I couldn't get out of bed i Country' is a slmbolic idea of violence,
if I had to constantly think about what is 1 Florentino is a slmbolc idea of imane
the best thing to do in order to be liked love: He's unreal
by others You just do your thing with "Marquez chose Florentino to make
your limitations and sometimes you hit us realize the huge, wide-open land-
the note, and sometimes you are totally scape ofwhat love means and represents
mong the suffering and joy of it in one person's
"When you feel people have a response soul And that was a challenging thing to
towhatyou'vedone,youfeelhappy.But I do"
I truly believe that perfoming is a need. Just as challenging as being in that
I know a lot of actors and actresses; my ; Woody A.llen movie?
mother is an actress It's a need- but it "Working with Woody is
doesn't mean you need to be approved for , amzing," says Bardem,
what you do Sometimes that might hap- , who plays a painter, his
pen and sometimes it might not happen ' first passion until he re-
It's not imDortant What's imDortant is to : alized he wouldn't be
go and act " as accomplished on
For Bardem, playing the almost fanati- the canvas as on the
cally devout lover Florentino in "Cholera" screen.
was especlall.y impofiant. "lt's really, really
"It was a book I read when I was 14, a unique experience
which is a little 1'ounti to understand
what s in that." savs Bardem "It ma(because it goes fast,Eo
=
C
6
!
c
o3uz
t
rooN
a
!
E
o
o
!
qwhat s in that," says It made man lt goes really
a deep impression on me Afler that. I fasf You have to be
read it trvo times morel When I realized really prepared and
a rnovie was beinB made, I really want- not ovefihink it too
ed to read llhe screenplayl Ot course, no much, and at the same
scrrpt can match zr masterpiece of a book, time you have jewels
that's impossible. But it grabbed fhe.e_s.- - - . in)our mouth because."tn3:l:: L"*i"" .n,*,n * .,,{J f i4 I I eg"*.$e$ds{+**$$&$EJavier Bardem stars as a life-long
romantic in "Love in the Time of
Cholera" (top l.) and as a relentless
assassin in "No Country for Old Men."
s,{jtelt, 4t th9 AFI test in L.A,,last month.
Photo by Apega/AbacauSA com