Javier Bardem was left overjoyed by his lead actor Oscar nomination for Aaron Sorkin’s Being the Ricardos Tuesday morning but says he couldn’t fully enjoy the moment until he heard the name of his wife and lead actress nominee Penélope Cruz, nominated for Pedro Almodóvar’s Parallel Mothers, called out as well.
“We were holding each other, watching the TV. We were trying to fit both of us on one sofa, so [we were] very close to each other,” he explains. “When the time came, first it was my name. And I was very shocked. Very happy. But I was waiting for hers because mine won’t make any sense without hers. I know that both of us would feel strange if we had to celebrate just one. And when hers happened, then we broke loose.”
He recalls with fondness the moments afterward: “It was beautiful. It was emotional. We have each other. And we really, really thank all of the people that gave us a chance to do this. Pedro, Aaron Sorkin… like, screaming out loud: ‘Thank you! Thank you!’ And of course Desi and Lucy.”
Desi Arnez, that is, the comedy icon whom Bardem plays in Amazon’s Being the Ricardos. The film focuses on Arnez and his wife, the legendary Lucille Ball (played by Nicole Kidman, also nominated today), as the pair navigate a pivotal week in the filming of I Love Lucy.
He takes his nomination with a grain of salt: “Of course, [a nomination] makes you very happy when you’ve got it, and it makes us happy. But it doesn’t really make too much sense,” he says, “Because there’s no way you can measure creativity. There’s no way you can measure one performance on top of the other.”
Bardem is recognized alongside Will Smith in King Richard, Andrew Garfield in Tick, Tick … Boom!, Denzel Washington in The Tragedy of Macbeth, and Benedict Cumberbatch in The Power of the Dog. “I’m very starstruck. I so deeply admire and follow many of my colleagues. When I see them, I get very nervous because I truly, truly follow them.”
He adds of his fellow nominees: “I met Andrew Garfield in Los Angeles, briefly, in a panel, and I adored the guy. He’s so sweet. He’s so charming. So nice. What a beautiful energy and positive vibe he has. [He’s a] beautiful actor: what he does in the movie, the way he sings, the way he does everything … I would like to give him a hug.”
With Being the Ricardos, Bardem secures his fourth nomination from the Academy, having previously been recognized in lead actor for Biutiful (2010) and Before Night Falls (2000), and winning supporting actor playing a serial killer in the Coen Brothers’ No Country For Old Men (2007).
Source: Hollywood
