Javier Bardem recalls pitching a Bond-obsessed villain to Sam Mendes at BFI London Film Festival
At a Screen Talk at the BFI London Film Festival on Sunday 11 October, Javier Bardem described how he proposed that his Skyfall villain Raoul Silva want to have sex with Bond, and how he forgot his lines on set. The Hollywood Reporter also says he first turned the part down.
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The story, neutrally told
Left · 2Javier Bardem gave a Screen Talk at the BFI London Film Festival on Sunday 11 October, covering his career, and spoke about playing the villain Raoul Silva in the 2012 Bond film Skyfall. The Hollywood ReporterLC “Spanish star Javier Bardem thanked a BFI London Film Festival crowd for getting out early on Sunday morning to attend a Screen Talk session with him.” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗ VarietyLC “Bardem revealed at a special Screen Talk at the BFI London Film Festival on Sunday.” Read at Variety ↗ Left · 2Bardem said he proposed to director Sam Mendes that, unlike earlier villains who tried to destroy the world, Silva should have a personal interest in Bond, saying he "wants to have sex with" him. The Hollywood ReporterLC “"I said, 'Listen, all the villains have done everything to destroy the world, but what about becoming personal?” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗ VarietyLC “all the villains have done everything to destroy the world, but what about something person?” Read at Variety ↗ Left · 2According to Bardem, Mendes was open to the idea and said he would talk to the studio; Bardem called the studio "very brave" and said the resulting scene, in which Silva strokes the thighs of a tied-up Daniel Craig, stays in audiences' memory. The Hollywood ReporterLC “"The studio was very brave," continued Bardem.” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗ VarietyLC “'Let me talk to the studio'… and the studio was very brave!"” Read at Variety ↗
Left · 2The Hollywood Reporter says Bardem initially declined the role, recalling that he was nervous and wondered what he could do in a James Bond film; Variety's report does not mention a refusal. The Hollywood ReporterLC “"I guess I was nervous. Like, 'What am I doing in the James Bond movie? What can I do?'” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗ VarietyLC “it was Bardem himself who wanted to dial up the sexuality of his character, and found a willing director in Sam Mendes.” Read at Variety ↗ Left · 2Bardem also said he forgot his lines when Mendes first called action because he realised he was in a Bond film opposite Judi Dench as M and Craig, and Mendes stopped to ask what was wrong. The Hollywood ReporterLC “"Well, sorry, I just realized that I'm in a James Bond movie.” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗ VarietyLC “I forgot the lines!," he said, to which Mendes asked him what was going on.” Read at Variety ↗ Left · 1On his Oscar-winning role in No Country for Old Men, Bardem said half the Oscar belongs to supporting actor Gene Jones, who appears in a single four-minute scene, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The Hollywood ReporterLC “"Half of the Oscar I have is his," said Bardem about Jones” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗
Left · 1He advised aspiring actors with a joke to "choose another job", then said acting matters in an age of AI because it creates a connection between people (The Hollywood Reporter). The Hollywood ReporterLC “"Choose another job. Why would you do that to yourself?"” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗ Left · 1Variety adds that Bardem recalled his first acting job at age five in the 1974 Spanish series El Picaro, in which his mother, the late Pilar Bardem, appeared, and joked about never being paid for it. VarietyLC “his first brush with acting as a five year old in the 1974 Spanish TV series "El Picaro," which starred his mother, the late actress Pilar Bardem.” Read at Variety ↗ Left · 2Bardem is at the festival with Florian Zeller's Bunker, co-starring his wife Penelope Cruz, and The Beloved; the outlets differ on the festival's end date (Oct. 18 in The Hollywood Reporter, Oct. 17 in Variety) and on The Beloved's director (Rodrigo Sorogoyen in The Hollywood Reporter, Esteban Martinez in Variety). The Hollywood ReporterLC “The 70th BFI London Film Festival runs Oct. 7-18.”“Rodrigo Sorogoyen's The Beloved, meanwhile, stars Bardem” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗ VarietyLC “which runs until Oct. 17, including Florian Zeller's "Bunker" alongside his wife Penelope Cruz and Esteban Martinez' "The Beloved."” Read at Variety ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left2 outlets
- Framing
- Both trade outlets treat the talk as a light, anecdote-driven celebrity piece, leading on the Bond villain pitch to Mendes. The Hollywood Reporter adds the declined-role angle and the wider career talk; Variety stresses homoeroticism and Bardem's early career.
- Emphasis
- Bardem's Skyfall anecdotes; The Hollywood Reporter also covers the Gene Jones remark, AI advice and the new Bond rumours; Variety covers his childhood debut and awards record.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Variety omits the initial refusal; The Hollywood Reporter omits Bardem's childhood debut and awards record. No centre or right outlets covered it.
- Charged language
- “glittering career”“homoeroticism”
- For example
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“Bardem reflected on a glittering career, from his early life growing up in one of Spain's most prestigious acting families to winning an Oscar” — The Hollywood Reporter
“Javier Bardem on Adding Homoeroticism to 007” — Variety
Centre0 outlets
No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Right0 outlets
No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
What every side reports
- Bardem spoke at a BFI London Film Festival Screen Talk on Sunday 11 October.
- He said he pitched to Sam Mendes that Skyfall's villain should want to have sex with Bond.
- He called the studio 'very brave' for allowing it.
- He said he forgot his lines on set after realising he was in a Bond film with Judi Dench.
- He has Bunker and The Beloved at the festival.
Where accounts differ
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Whether Bardem first declined Skyfall
- Left
- The Hollywood Reporter says he initially declined the role and headlines it; Variety does not mention a refusal and says he wanted to dial up the character's sexuality.
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Festival end date and The Beloved's director
- Left
- The Hollywood Reporter: festival runs Oct. 7-18, The Beloved directed by Rodrigo Sorogoyen. Variety: festival runs until Oct. 17, director given as Esteban Martinez.
Javier Bardem person
Presents the sexual dynamic as his own idea, praises Mendes and the studio, and jokes about being starstruck on set.
“Mendes was so open to what I was proposing to do with the sexuality of the character” — Variety
“"Sam Mendes is a genius” — The Hollywood Reporter
Sam Mendes person
As relayed by Bardem, Mendes was receptive and said he would take the idea to the studio; Mendes is not quoted directly.
“'I'll talk to the studio and get back to you,'” — The Hollywood Reporter
Left2 articles
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Sympathetic Upbeat festival report built around the declined-role and pitch anecdote, with broader career highlights.
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Celebratory Opens by praising Silva as one of the best Bond baddies, focusing on the homoerotic scene and Bardem's career achievements.
Centre0 articles
No coverage yet.
Right0 articles
No coverage yet.
- 11 Oct 15:27 First The Hollywood ReporterLC Javier Bardem on Declining ‘Skyfall’ Role, Pitching to Sam Mendes: “What If He Wants to Have Sex With Mr. Bond?”
- 11 Oct 16:39 +1h 12m VarietyLC Javier Bardem on Adding Homoeroticism to 007 and Telling Sam Mendes That His ‘Skyfall’ Villain Should Be Someone Who ‘Wants to Have Sex With Bond’
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.