Javier Bardem Quotes

One of my dreams came true when (Julian Schnabel) showed the movie (Before Night Falls (2000)) to Al Pacino and he called me at 3 a.m. Spanish time and told me he liked my performance. I told him, "There are two things I believe in, God and Al Pacino".

(on his girlfriend Cristina, who is a translator and coaching him in English) I`m in love with my English teacher. We have many of our lessons in bed.

I live in Spain. Oscars are something that are on TV Sunday night, basically, very late at night. You don`t watch, you just read the news after to see who won or who lost . . . The award is important in order to bring people to the movie theater. That`s the only principal meaning of any award.

We are so scared about talking about death that we are letting people die in silence. It is good to talk publicly.

It would be amazing to think your film or your performance had the power to make changes, but it`s enough that it makes people talk and think. Maybe they shouldn`t do anything anyway. The Church has strong feelings and we respect that.

(on his Oscar nomination for Before Night Falls (2000)) It`s exhausting, almost a full-time job. Last time I found it was too much about bringing attention to yourself.

I`m proud of the fact that I got so many people to sit down and watch a story like Before Night Falls (2000) even at the expense, I felt, of some of my personal life.

(on No Country for Old Men (2007)) I think the movie speaks of a lack of meaning in violence. I embody violence, I am violence itself in the movie, and there is a man . . . who is trying to understand the meaning of it and at the end there is no meaning.

I`m getting more comfortable now, but it will never get to the point as if you are doing it in your own language. When I say, "I love you" or "I hate you" in Spanish, many things come to my mind, aspects of my own life. When I say it in English, I don`t have the memories.

(on his character of Chigurh in No Country for Old Men (2007)) All the work I usually do: imagining the past, the circumstances of the character in this case I didn`t do it. We all saw him as a force of nature, the embodiment of violence.

(on working with Alejandro Amenábar again) I wish I could work with him again. He`s so secret. He doesn`t even tell me and I go, "Give me a break, man. Give me a role." He works secretly. I guess he will be shooting soon. I hope so, because he`s amazing.

All of the good movies are based on how that story was told. And you cannot do it with a bad script, that`s for sure, no matter who.

What does my performance have to do with Russell Crowe`s? Nothing. If I play Gladiator (2000) and we all play "Gladiator" with Ridley Scott in the same amount of time, maybe we have a chance to see who did it best.

We actors always say how difficult and physically demanding a role was. But give me a break, it`s only a movie.

The only thing I can do is act, but it`s not something I even feel comfortable doing. It costs me a lot, because I`m a shy person, even if I don`t look it.

Sometimes I say to myself, what are you doing in this absurd job? Why don`t you go to Africa and help people? But I cannot help people, because I am a hypochondriac.

When the Coens called (about casting him in No Country for Old Men (2007)), I said, "Listen, I`m the wrong actor. I don`t drive, I speak bad English, and I hate violence". They laughed and said, "Maybe that`s why we called you".

I truly consider myself non-sexy, which is fine for me. I don`t have any problem with that. Sometimes I would like to have Brad Pitt`s body. But that`s not something that obsesses me in a real way. And second, I truly believe that what I would like to portray on-screen or on stage are human beings, and human beings usually are not as handsome as movie stars. But most times being handsome on-screen or being handsome for real life, has to do much more with your vanity and your profound need to be liked by the rest of the people, be loved by the rest of the people.

All the work I usually do: imagining the past, the circumstances of the character in this case I didn`t do it. We all saw him as a force of nature the embodiment of violence. - On his character Chigurh in No Country for Old men

It`s exhausting, almost a full-time job. Last time, I found it was too much about bringing attention to yourself. - On his Oscar nomination for Before Night Falls.

I`m proud of the fact that I got so many people to sit down and watch a story like Before Night Falls even at the expense, I felt, of some of my personal life.

I live in Spain. Oscars are something that are on TV Sunday night, basically, very late at night. You don`t watch, you just read the news after to see who won or who lost... The award is important in order to bring people to the movie theater. That`s the only principal meaning of any award.

``I wish I could work with him again. He`s so secret. He doesn`t even tell me and I go, "Give me a break man. Give me a role." He works secretly. I guess he will be shooting soon. I hope so, because he`s amazing.`` On working with Amenabar again.

I`m getting more comfortable now, but it will never get to the point as if you are doing it in your own language. When I say `I love you` or `I hate you` in Spanish, many things come to my mind, aspects of my own life. When I say it in English, I don`t have the memories.

I think the movie speaks of a lack of meaning in violence. I embody violence, I am violence itself in the movie, and there is a man ... who is trying to understand the meaning of it and at the end there is no meaning. - On No Country for Old Men.

I`m in love with my English teacher. We have many of our lessons in bed. - his girlfriend, Cristina, is a translator in Spain, and is coaching her boyfriend.

One of my dreams came true when Julian (Schnabel) showed the movie (Before Night Falls (2000)) to Al Pacino and he called me at 3 a.m. Spanish time and told me he liked my performance. I told him, `I don`t believe in God, I believe in Al Pacino.`

When the Coens called, I said, `Listen, I`m the wrong actor. I don`t drive, I speak bad English, and I hate violence.` They laughed and said, `Maybe that`s why we called you.` - on No Country for Old Men (2007)