And she said, what do you mean?
I said, well the Golden Globe nominations are today.
She said, why didnt you tell me before?
Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story. Javier Bardem as Jose Menendez in episode 206 of Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story.Netflix © 2024
I said, why would I?
Lets see what happens.
Then she looked at me and said, you are nominated.
It was nice and easy.
I was expecting it to be more frantic, more unstable, more artistically poor, Bardem tells Deadline.
What I found was absolutely the opposite.
Does that sentiment still hold?
BARDEMIm not very much into violence myself, and Im not a spectator of especially violent movies.
I dont like it.
Funny enough, Ive done some of those as well when I was younger.
I also dont feel comfortable watching very explicit sex scenes in any movie.
I guess Im getting older.
But most of the time its just gratuitous.
So yeah, I was kind of depressed in No Country for several reasons, for some personal reasons.
It was a moment in my life where I was going through a crisis like many other moments.
So I felt kind of alone and absolutely detached from the whole surroundings.
Josh Brolin was my lifesaver.
We had a greatest time.
I consider him to be a great human being and a good friend.
DEADLINEMonstersisnt necessarily violent on that level, but its certainly dark.
Did you ever have any periods where you felt that level of depression or sadness?
When I did No Country, I was 37.
We talked openly about my fears of playing such a man who could have done those things.
I mean, I dont know myself if those sexual allegations of abuse are real or not.
We dont know yet.
But you have to play it from the sons perspective.
And in that sense, yes, he would be responsible for committing those [crimes].
You have to play that.
DEADLINE You obviously possess a specific set of tools to play a monster like Jose.
Was one of those tools having to find a way to like him?
BARDEMI dont need to like Jose at all to play him.
I also played Pablo Escobar, and I dont necessarily like him.
But I guess our job is about trying to understand their faults, fears, pain, violence.
We all are human beings.
Jose was not born that way.
He was shaped by trauma.
Thats the thing that is most exciting about my job.
Its not about saying the lines in front of the camera.
Give yourself the time to explore, to sit down, to reflect.
My judgment toward Jose?
I dont necessarily like the guy.
I think he represents many of the things that I despise about men, about manhood.
And Im not talking about sexual abuse.
I dont even want to get in there.
Im talking about toxic masculinity, as we call it.
But that doesnt matter what I think of him.
So how did Ryan explain the story to you?
Was he unequivocal in his belief that Jose did this to his sons?
BARDEMHe very much explained it in the way that is shown on the show.
Or could it be not?
We know things for certain.
He was a bad father.
He was emotionally and psychological abusive to his kids.
He was putting tremendous pressure on them to be the people he wanted them to be.
But when it comes to the sexual abuse, that has not been proven.
It could be and it could be not.
I very much liked the fact that I was not playing someone who was one piece of a person.
To play the ambiguity was the most challenging and fun part of being part of the show.
Can you compare it to anything youve done before?
That was 17 years after the movie opened.
It brought to the audience the right to have a dignified death.
The Menendez case is all over the world, all over the media.
The whole attention that has been brought to the case is absolutely outstanding.
And I think its a good thing.
Because its bringing a lots of discussion about sexual abuse, about machismo, male dominance.
DEADLINE This was your first limited series.
What surprised you most about the process?
BARDEMI guess I was expecting it to be more frantic, more unstable, more artistically poor.
What I found was absolutely the opposite.
First of all, the Ryan Murphy and Netflix teams were top notch.
Everything was right there for you to use it to your own benefit.
Second, the fact that I was working with four different directors.
I was like, how am I going to do that?
Im not used to doing that.
But it was so smooth.
It was so brilliant.
They were not contradicting each other at all.
Also, I never felt for a second that I have to be in a rush.
It was opposite to what I was expecting.
I found the joy in being part of that journey that takes you farther and deeper.
DEADLINE When are you expected to start Cape Fear?
BARDEMI think its going to be in the first half of next year.
I guess a little bit after spring.
