His character in the new James Bond movie “SkyFall” may be described as insane, psychotic and altogether unhinged, but Spanish actor Javier Bardem says at the end of the day agent Raoul Silva “above all is a human being.”
Bardem is no stranger to being the bad guy in films. Back in 2007 the actor took home the Academy award for his role as the heartless Anton Chigurh in “No Country for Old Men.”
This time around, Bardem had the challenge of creating a character that was “loyal to the story” ― the beloved story of the undercover M16 007 agent, that is now in its 50th year and has been portrayed 23 times.
“[I had to] put the person [watching] in an uncomfortable situation, where even James Bond could not resist,” Barden told Fox News Latino about how he and director Sam Mendes brought the creepy villain to life.
"The first time I read it, I realized the character had many colors,” he added. “Here, in this movie is where the old meets the new,” he said in regards to Raoul Silva having a “classic” James Bond villain feel to him.
In the flick, Bardem shows off a flamboyant character with beach, blond hair and eyebrows (Raoul Silva) intended to make the audience feel uneasy about his motives, while 007 agent James Bond, played by Daniel Craig, tries to stop him from attacking the leader of the agents M16, played by Judi Dench.
“Here there is a broken person,” Bardem said. “What I like the most is there is a clear motive [to kill],” he added. “We understand he is very human and this is powerful. I was attracted to the villain because I thought he was a nice guy. I could see it in his eyes.”
“The character’s sexuality was part of the game,” he continued. Sexuality was there as something important to create the behavior of [being uncomfortable]. From 'uncomfortableness' we brought the sense of humor.”
With major success under his belt with previous flicks such as “Love in the Time of Cholera,” “Eat Pray Love” and “Collateral,” Bardem believes that the journey of making the film with his fellow actors is what matters the most.
“I’ve been doing this for 25 years,” Bardem told Fox News Latino. “What stays with you is not the success or failure of the movie but the experience.”
“Daniel [Craig] wants to make you feel protected and free,” Bardem said. "[He] gave me space to do my thing. So it was easy.”
“I was really looking forward to the set because I knew I was going to have fun.”
Reminiscing about his time on the set, Bardem said that at one point he, too, felt star struck at the thought that he is now part of the James Bond legacy.
“[At one point] I forgot my lines,” Bardem said laughing. “I realized I was in a James Bond movie! Sam (Mendes) came over and was laughing and said what happened? But he knew.”
“It’s a privilege,” he added, to be cast in the longest-running film franchise in history.
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