Bardem the Magnificent

By Victoria Looseleaf

This soulful Spaniard has always gotten my vote, so if there is a better actor on the planet at the moment (aside from the always wonderful scenery-chewing Al Pacino and The Big Lebowski’s iconic dude, Jeff Bridges), I’ll move back to Cleveland. Seriously, while the Globes got mostly everything wrong – except having the forked-tongued Ricky Gervais do hilarious hosting duties – the sacrosanct Oscars managed to do right…in at least several categories.

By nominating Bardem in the best actor category for his staggering performance as Uxbal, a conflicted dying man in Biutiful, which also got a nod for best foreign picture (though the director, Alejandro González Iñárritu did not), the race is on. And though I believe Colin Firth is a lock for his stutter-strewn performance in The King’s Speech, I’m pleased Bardem is, again, a contender, having already won an Oscar for best supporting actor as the bad-haircut sporting killer in 2007 for No Country For Old Men.

Happiness is winning Best Actor award at the 63rd Cannes Film Festival.

I’m also thrilled to have been able to actually speak with both Bardem and Iñárritu for their complex, emotionally-layered work in the disturbing, but profound and relevant Biutiful. Here, then, are two of my mini-interviews with the brilliant Bardem. Click here for the full interview with the pair on 91.5, KUSC-FM.

In the interim, congratulations to Javier and his wife, the stunning Penelope Cruz, on the birth of their son in Los Angeles last weekend. Could there be a more glorious coupling…or a more gifted child? Hola, niño!

 

This entry was posted in AL PACINO, ALEJANDRO GONZALEZ INARRITU, BIUTIFUL, CANNES FILM FESTIVAL, COLIN FIRTH, JAVIER BARDEM, JEFF BRIDGES, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, OSCARS, Pénelope Cruz, THE KING’S SPEECH. Bookmark the permalink.