Javier Bardem's Bond villain: This time it's personal
Javier Bardem won an Academy Award in 2007 for his role as perhaps one of the creepiest movie villains ever in "No Country for Old Men." Now, the Spanish-born actor (and husband of Penelope Cruz) is playing another very intelligent (and very deadly) madman in the latest James Bond film, "Skyfall," which opens in U.S. theaters on Friday.
Bardem sat down with CBSNews.com to discuss his latest character, who has a deep past with -- and serious grudge against -- Bond and the rest of MI6.
CBSNews.com: I wanted to start with your character, Raoul Silva. Would you say one thing that sets him apart from other Bond villains is his motive?
Javier Bardem: Yes, it's more kind of a personal thing than say, trying to destroy the world. Which, in a way, he also may do...Behind the Bond villain figure, there's a person who wants to achieve something very personal.
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CBSNews.com: Do you have a favorite Bond villain from any of the other movies?
Bardem: Many great actors have done it before. But I guess I like Jaws...from "Moonraker." I like that actor [Richard Kiel] doing that role. Something more emotional. It was the first movie that I ever saw of Bond.
CBSNews.com: The reviews for "Skyfall"... I had just mentioned to your co-star Daniel Craig that they're not just great, they're incredible. That has to feel good.
Bardem: That feels good [Laughs]. It's good when you do something that is well-perceived. At the same time, you never know what you're doing. There's no movie that I've done that I knew in advance what was going to be the reaction. You think you're doing something good and then it doesn't appeal to the people...You think you do something that is going to be bad and then surprisingly enough people act very well to it. So yeah, when I see the reaction...the unanimous reaction that this movie is creating, it's very good. Because a lot of people have been working very hard on it. Not me. I just did my role. But here are many people working behind working very hard on creating a great movie...and I think they did.
Watch the interview with Bardem at the top of this story.
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