Inside a Sea of Deep Emotions

Spanish heartthrob Javier Bardem plays Ramon Sampedro

Though hunky stars Orlando Bloom and Colin Firth are sitting only several feet away, it's towards a handsome Spaniard that female gazes are turning to this particular afternoon in Toronto. Javier Bardem was introduced to American audiences in the black comedy Jamon, Jamon in 1992, turning him into an international sex symbol. Although he turned down various other parts that would only capitalize on his good looks, the gorgeous 35-year-old actor continued to turn heads particularly when he played persecuted gay Cuban writer Reinaldo Arenas in Before Night Falls (2000), earning himself an Oscar nomination.
Bardem, who comes from a family of Spanish actors and is still the only Spanish thespian ever to receive an Oscar nomination, is now playing a 55 year old in Alejandro Amenabar's Golden Globe-winning The Sea Inside.
The film is based on the touching, true story of Spaniard Ramon Sampedro who, following a swimming accident that left him a quadriplegic, fought for nearly 30 years to be allowed to die with dignity. With the help of several friends, the poet and writer was able to take his own life in 1998, despite protests from the government and the Catholic Church.
Tandem talked to Javier Bardem when he was in Toronto.
I understand you went through a lengthy make-up process to look 55.
"Yeah, five or six hours every day. I'd go there at five o'clock in the morning, I'd start shooting at 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. And it was all in my face. Jo Allen is an amazing makeup artist, and she did this amazing job. And when I saw it, I felt very comfortable. I felt like she did 50 percent of my character. But it was so undignified to be very still. When she was done I saw my father. That was nice, but it was kind of scary for that to happen in less than five hours."
You also had to gain weight...
"I had to have the weight in my face. He had a very round face. The hard thing was not gaining weight on my body because he wasn't heavy. So we basically had to hide my weight gain in order for me to have the face I wanted."
How did you manage to remain still for so long?
"You just breathe and relax. I let it all start from the voice. I tried to calm myself and forget the anxiety you get due to the fact you must be motionless, so I could bring up the energy to the right place. I also wanted to achieve a feeling of dynamism inside the static. Due to how he talks and behaves, there is something that moves while the body remains motionless. It's like a kind of balance between energies."
After so many hours in bed, did you find it hard sleeping at night?
"Oh, yes. I spent three months in bed, and then I went to sleep to my own bed. You feel your body change, it gets a different gravity, a weight. But I didn't worry too much about all this because it helped me understand the character."
How did Amenabar approach you about the project?
"He gave me the script and told me to look at it, and it took me awhile to read it. Then I talked to him, and we waited for a month to make up our minds. It's one of those things where you can't say no. It was a risky thing for me to portray this man. I thought about the Spanish audience and wondered if they would believe me in this role. They're more used to seeing me in movies playing younger men. Would they believe I'm that guy?"
So what made you decide to accept the role?
"Reading Sampedro's book on his life. I read the book and then began to talk with the people who knew him. I spent time with his family and friends. I started to see how they talked about this amazing person, and I just couldn't say no."
You must've been familiar with his story before that.
"Of course. In 1998 his death opened a huge debate, and it was everywhere on television. I'd never met him. And then everybody in Spain knew that case. He was the first European person who went to the European court to ask for his right to die, and he was denied. "
Was it because of the Catholic Church?
"That and popular opinion. I spent three weeks talking to people at a hospital who were in the same condition as Ramon. These people said, 'I choose life. I don't agree with what he thought or did, but I understand him. It's his choice. God bless him.' But the church condemns without watching, saying, 'This is an evil movie.' I mean, I do respect their opinion, but I don't share it."
Do you agree with Sampedro's decision?
"In the end, it's his life. I don't think I could obligate anyone to live a life. It all comes down to the idea that life doesn't have the same meaning for all of us. Life is a huge hell for some. It's about dealing with your own life and death. I believe whatever decision you make is fine as long as you don't hurt anyone else."
Though he was paralyzed from the neck down, Sampedro had several women fall in love with him...
"Because he had a brilliant mind and was very... feminist. In a machismo society, especially back then, it was very surprising to see somebody from a village being that understanding with women. He had a beautiful sense of humour, a nice smile and beautiful, blue eyes. Women didn't feel threatened by him."
What was the hardest thing about playing Sampedro?
"There were some scenes that were heartbreaking. There's a video of him taking the poison, which shows that he died very painfully. That was hard to watch and copy. But for the most part, here was a guy with a smile on his face. What was difficult for an actor was to understand his mind and what he wanted to do by ending his life."
What does his family think about the film?
"They liked it. I was so nervous that they wouldn't approve. Alejandro held a private screening for them. I was on my cell phone calling Alejandro like crazy. Finally, I got the news that they really loved the movie. They said it showed great respect, and they were laughing a lot. That meant everything to me."
You made history for being the first Spanish actor ever to get a best actor Oscar nomination. Is being nominated important to you?
"Not really. It's not important to me, but maybe for the movie. It's more important that bombings stop in Iraq, that the United States respects the Kyoto Accord. That's what's important to me."
The Sea Inside is currently playing at local cinemas.

Publication Date: 2005-01-30
Story Location: http://tandemnews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=4882