Quotes By Javier Bardem

The only thing I can do is act, but it's not something I even feel comfortable doing. It costs me a lot, because I'm a shy person, even if I don't look it.

I have this problem with violence. I've only done one movie in almost 20 years where I killed people. It's called Perdita Durango. It's a Spanish movie. I'm very proud of the movie, but I felt weird doing that.

I enjoy my job as long as I can create a character, otherwise it's boring.

And the whole Oscar thing, that is just surreal: you spend months and months doing promotion, and then come back to reality with this golden thing in your hands. You put it in the office and then you just have to look at it sitting on the shelf. And, after about two weeks, you go: 'What is that doing there?'

Imagine the situation between Israel and Palestine. It's such a big mess. You can be on one side or the other. But what's clear is that there's an urgent need for a solution there and that's been dragging on for so long.

I think we are living in selfish times. I'm the first one to say that I'm the most selfish. We live in the so-called 'first world,' and we may be first in a lot of things like technology, but we are behind in empathy.

People have been born in refugee camps and they are getting tired of that.

Now, there are so many movies, so many festivals, and so many awards going on, each judged with each other, like your work is worse than others and that's not fair. How can you tell what's best and what's worst from these awards? We're talking about art.

I've always belonged to the street, and I always will. It's in my DNA.

We live in the moment now where this whole movie business is crazy.

We actors always say how difficult and physically demanding a role was. But give me a break, it's only a movie.

You want to do your job well so that people in the future say, 'OK, he's not bad, let's hire him.'

Celebrity is very weird.

We live in a world of denial, and we don't know what the truth is anymore.

When you know people are really at peace with who they are and what they do, they collaborate and want to help you to improve.

I do respect people's faith, but I don't respect their manipulation of that faith in order to create fear and control.

My concern is to continue respecting my work as I've done since I began as an actor and I could only do that if I'm strong enough to keep on doing what I think best in an artistic way.

There is no good side to celebrity.

I do a job and am lucky enough to do a job that I love, but it is a hard one. I'm not saying it is as hard as working in a coal mine, but it is still difficult in a different way. Sometimes you have to go through very strong emotional journeys and then come back to yourself. And that can be difficult to control.

Life is not perfect.

Sometimes I say to myself, what are you doing in this absurd job? Why don't you go to Africa and help people? But I cannot help people, because I am a hypochondriac.

I believe in people.

I used to be a good party boy. I'm old. I'm an old man. You pay the consequences. I'm just fine with a couple of drinks, no more than that.

I am always saying, 'I don't believe in God; I believe in Al Pacino.' And that's true. If I ever get a phone call saying 'Would you like to work with Al Pacino?' I would go crazy.

I don't really care where movies come from as long as they're worth making.

When you put gas in your car you are making a political statement, because you are supporting the empires that control and continue the destruction of some countries.

The personal thing is something I have never talked about. And I never will. That is prohibited. My job is public. But that's it. When you're not working, you don't have an obligation to be public.

I've always said I don't believe in God, I believe in Al Pacino.

I will work with a director who has good material because at the end of the day, that's what counts.

Everybody in Spain is sick of me. But in America, there's curiosity about the new kid on the block who doesn't speak English very well. The attention makes me feel vulnerable, which is something I hadn't felt in a while. But I like it.