Javier Bardem is an all-powerful and overprotective father in Disney's remake of The Little Mermaid. Bardem (Las Palmas, 1969) embodies King Triton from the bottom of the sea, with a crown, trident and pantocrator beard. A monarch who in this live action revision of the classic tries to control one of his mermaid daughters, Ariel (Halle Bailey), who wants to know the human world. Directed by Rob Marshall and featuring new lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda for the songs, we won't hear Bardem sing for the first time in the big-screen version coming Friday: His theme fell into the final edit. He will be an extra on the platforms.
As a parent, do you resemble that helicopter father who knows what is best for his daughter who he embodies in The Little Mermaid?
I want to believe not. Another thing is what my children think when they see the movie. I'm looking forward to making that pass. For me it is more exciting than for them.
Because?
Because I love the movie and have not seen anything. They could not come to the shoot due to the pandemic. And I think it's very emotional, very beautiful. Another thing is that when they see her, they say: 'That grumpy is my father!'. Surely. But I try to recognize myself when I'm throwing my stuff at them too much, when I'm projecting my insecurity, my fear, my demand. I try to be as conscious as possible and say it: 'That belongs to me, don't put it on the boy or the girl because it doesn't go with him'. And I try to recognize them as much as possible for who they are and support them. I like it more or less. They are small, 12 and 10 years old, but it is important to do it now, or later the change is brutal. Being a parent is undoubtedly the most important role in one's life. If you decide to take that step, you agree to support a human being from the moment he is born until he becomes who he wants to be. And you, to re-educate yourself as an adult and take away all the things that have been placed on your shoulders that do not belong to you and that you are going to make your children inherit once again. It is a re-education in both directions.
He asked Rob Marshall for this role. Because?
I was very excited to work with him. And it is a film that I have seen a lot with my children. When I found out he was going to do it I texted him thinking he would say no. I let him know that Tritón had a Spanish accent… and he told me that they were just thinking of me. Then I understood why: there is a diversity, an important inclusion in the film, different races, origins, accents.
Have we lost him singing?
My song is not finally in the movie. It's the first I've ever sung, Impossible child, an original theme by Alan Menken and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda. I rehearsed it for months, it's a rock-opera song and we shot it in three days. It's marvelous.
What happened?
That, with all the pain in my heart, the director told me: Javier, we can't play the song because it would be a spoiler. And it's true. In the song the father begins to take responsibility for perhaps being the cause of his daughter wanting to leave. And in the place where he went, he made the end of the story not the same. But he will be seen on the platform.
His character claims that humans are the most dangerous species in existence. Do you believe it?
Definitely. This is in line with a scene that I proposed to Rob to help the new generations understand that the oceans do not take care of themselves, that all that wonder of colors, of diversity, under the sea, must be taken care of. That's why we included this little scene where we are cleaning the garbage from the sea and I think it's nice that it's there. And without a doubt, of course not, I don't know of another species that is more cruel to itself than the human being. There are, thank God, more gestures of great and profound humanity among us than of cruelty. But perhaps, in this sense, in The Little Mermaid the contempt that some generate towards the world in which we live is extraordinarily cruel, simply speaking at an environmental level, and that affects us all.
Are you worried about the environmental crisis?
It's impossible not to worry, it hasn't rained here for I don't know how long. It's brutal, I think the denialist head no longer exists, it can't exist...
The pot on the balcony?
Yes, exactly.
Is being king strange to you, even at the bottom of the sea?
A bit. I, the kings, only in fiction. I am a republican and it is the first crown that I wear in my life. It made me laugh. What do I do, with how anti-monarchical I am, being king of nothing? But one thing I like is that he is a king who tries to be fair, he wants the best for his people, compared to the king who wants all the power for himself and for his own benefit. Unfortunately, in this country we have seen more than the seconds.
Are you a born leader? Give life to kings, patrons, the leader of Dune...
Born to be a leader, you see, with which you are falling and how little I know about anything. But it's true, and also in Dune 2 that leadership is explained more and how it has to get to a place where it can be delegated to someone who is considered even more suitable. It has to do with leaving what is yours aside so that what is important develops, and not the need for one. The common versus the individual. The good patron was the opposite, the individual above the common.
How have you received the Donosti award, with satisfaction or concern over the years of your career?
First I said to myself: 'Well, how old am I already', but I thought: 'Hey, if they give it to young girls, for my wife, they can also give it to me'. When it became official, I was thrilled. It's a festival I've been to a lot. I imagine that I will say that day that the people I love the most in my life, while waiting for my children, who are the only ones missing, I have been to the festival with them, both friends and family, and I have celebrated cinema and life with them there. Another festival gives it to you and you say: well, thank you. But this one is very important to me.
From the perspective of that young man in The Ages of Lulu, does your career seem impossible?
Completely. I find it impressive and incredible that he continues living from this and living well. I come from a family that is dedicated to cinema and I know how difficult it is. Living from it and being able to have access to projects that I like seems miraculous to me. Also when I look back and see that thirty-odd years ago I started and I have never stopped working. There have been moments with more or less work, but I have always been able to have a work horizon. And above all, I have never had any career planning. I have been betting on the moment, never on the great photo finish. When you get an award like this, it's a bit of a photo finish. And you say, oh, okay, of course, I've arrived, thank you. But you also tell yourself, well, hey guys, I still have a long way to go, huh? I haven't gotten anywhere yet.
