Javier Bardem, the Oscar-winning Spanish actor who has cemented his place as a Hollywood icon, has recently opened up about portraying Cuban Icon and I Love Lucy star, Desi Arnaz.
Bardem, who recently starred opposite Nicole Kidman in the biographical film, Being The Ricardos, is no stranger to the star-making entertainment machine.
After winning his Oscar for his role as Anton Chigurh in the Coen brothers’ adaptation of the Cormac McCarthy novel, No Country for Old Men, Bardem has been hailed as one of the greatest actors to come out of Spain.
Referring to Academy-Award-Winning Actress Penélope Cruz solely as ‘Javier Bardem’s Wife’ sells the star short of her long and thriving career.
Who Is Javier Bardem?
Bardem was born in the Canary Islands in Spain, to Spanish actress Pilar Bardem. His father, José Carlos Encinas Douissinague was the son of a cattle rancher.
Douissinage was impulsive and violent, and his frequent job changes left his three children hungry for most of their early lives. The two separated shortly after Bardem’s birth, leaving his mother to raise the children on her own.
Bardem is part of a Spanish filmmaking dynasty dating back to the earliest days of Spanish cinema. He is the grandson of acting legends Rafael Bardem and Matilde Muñoz Sampedro. His uncle was the screenwriter and director Juan Antonio Bardem, who was imprisoned by the Francoist regime for promoting anti-Fascism in his films.
Having spent his youth on movie sets and stages, it was only natural that Bardem wanted to join the family trade.
His first role in a major motion picture was when he appeared alongside his mother in The Ages of Lulu when he was 21.
After a series of minor roles, the director of Lulu, Bigas Luna, offered him one of the leading roles in 1992’s Jamón Jamón. The film was a major success, launching Bardem into stardom.
His talent was noticed by American and English filmmakers, who often offered Bardem roles in multiple films. He often turned these down at the start of his career as he felt he was not fluent enough to act in English.
His first English-speaking role was in 1997 when he starred in Álex de la Iglesia’s Perdita Durango as a bank robber.
Bardem’s Hollywood breakthrough came with his role in Before Night Falls, where he played Cuban Poet Reinaldo Arenas and was the first Spanish actor to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.
The height of his early career was the endorsement he recieved from idol Al Pacino and was quickly praised by Francis Ford Coppolla and John Malkovitch as well.
In 2007 it was revealed that he was dating his Jamón Jamón co-star Penélope Cruz.
Who is Penélope Cruz?
Actress Penélope Cruz made her film debut in Jamón Jamón in 1992, playing a young pregnant woman named Silvia who gets tangled up in a series of romantic affairs.
The film was a success, and Cruz was praised for her enchanting acting capabilities. Many critics noted that her physical appeal was a draw for audiences, but Criz has said she chose to star in the film for its story, not to display her body.
Her roles following Silvia demonstrated her versatility, and audiences noticed that Cruz could quickly adapt her acting style to suit whatever role she was cast in.
Her success in Hollywood is attributed to her role in Vicky Cristina Barcelona in 2008. The film cast her opposite then-boyfriend, Javier Bardem, and Scarlett Johansson.
In the film, Cruz plays María Elena, Bardem’s character’s neurotic ex-wife who is jealous of his relationship with the American tourists.
The role earned her international recognition, including a Goya Awards, a BAFTA, and her first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
To date, she is the only Spanish actress ever to win an Oscar and the sixth Hispanic entertainment figure to do so.
About Their Marriage
Bardem and Cruz were married in July 2010, after three years of dating.
They married in a private ceremony at a friend’s home in the Bahamas.
Their children, Leo Encinas Cruz and Luna Encinas Cruz, were born in 2011 and 2013.
The couple chooses to keep quiet about their personal life, often avoiding the subject in various interviews.
Recently, however, Bardem gave his home life a brief mention in an interview with E! News. Of his secret to his long-term relationship, the actor said:
“When you have a family you have to be more alert of making sure that there’s time for the family—which is, by far, what is most important.”
Cruz and Bardem have starred in multiple projects together since Vicky Cristina Barcelona, namely The Counselor in 2013 and Everybody Knows five years after that.
Cruz’s Career Tribute
Bardem has been highly supportive of his wife’s career, often citing her as one of his all-time favorite actresses.
On December 14, Cruz was honored with a tribute at the Museum of Modern Art’s annual film benefit in New York City. The event raises funds to ensure that cinema continues to be part of the MoMA’s vast collection.
Cruz’s tribute featured Pedo Almodóvar, Lupita Nyong’o, Rebecca Hall and singer Rosalía.
She told The Hollywood Reporter that she sees the museum’s conservation work as integral to cinematic history, saying:
“Many generations after us wouldn’t be able to enjoy the work of many geniuses, of many brilliant films. Unless [the MoMa does] that, it would, at some point, get lost.”
When asked about how she hoped future audiences would view her and her work, the actress replied with “I would want to be remembered as someone that tried to keep learning every day and never got too confident about it.”
In her speech, she acknowledged the ever-changing nature of the Hollywood machine and how she has had to learn to grow to keep up with audience demands as a performer.
Addressing the impact the pandemic has had on the film industry, she said discussed the newfound developments streaming sites have introduced to the industry, saying:
“It’s a very interesting time for film and filmmakers for audiences. With so many distribution platforms, and devices on which to watch, access to film is everywhere. We all have the ability to carry a cinema in our hand and to watch films wherever we go,” adding that “the last few years have taken their toll on film productions. Some shutdown. Theaters closed. Cinema is changing. And we all wonder what the future of cinema looks like.”
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