JAVIER BARDEM FOR T MAGAZINE 2008 MEN'S FASHION ISSUE

Javier Bardem photograhed by Jean
Baptiste Mondino courtesy of The New
York Times/T Magazine


Javier Bardem photographed by Jean Baptiste Mondino courtesy
of Pop Sugar and The New York Times/T Magazine

These images of Javier Bardem, photographed by Jean Baptiste Mondino, are from T Magazine Men's Fall Fashion 2008 issue.

Some snippets from the accompanying interview:

At the Oscars last February, you won Best Supporting Actor for your portrayal of the ultimate bad guy, Anton Chigurh, in ‘‘No Country for Old Men,’’ directed by the Coen brothers. Now you are starring as the ultimate ladies’ man in Woody Allen’s ‘‘Vicky Cristina Barcelona.’’ Which is the more difficult role to play?
This is the first time in 20 years that I’m playing a leading man in a romantic comedy. It was a conscious decision: in my early career I (...)

In ‘‘Vicky Cristina,’’ you have scenes with Penélope Cruz in Spanish. Does Woody Allen speak Spanish?
He told us what he wanted us to say and then we improvised, and after a while he’d say, ‘‘Cut.’’ We’d say, ‘‘Do you like it?’’ And he’d say, ‘‘I don’t know. I guess so.’’ It would be as if I was acting in Chinese — how would I know if I was good or not?
(...)

You play a painter in ‘‘Vicky Cristina.’’ Did you have to learn to paint?
No, from the ages of 19 to 23, I studied painting. Initially, I worked as an extra in movies to get money to keep painting. Now I paint very secretly. Before playing this part, I asked Julian Schnabel [who directed Bardem in ‘‘Before Night Falls’’] if he feels fear when he faces a blank canvas. He said, ‘‘Fear of what?’’ [Laughs] That was the character!

You can read the full interview by Lynn Hirschberg and view the complete photo gallery on the T Magazine website via this link.