DEATH BECOMES HIM JAVIER BARDEM FOUND THE JOY IN PLAYING A REAL-LIFE CRUSADER FOR EUTHANASIA.Byline: Glenn Whipp Film Writer Javier Bardem isn't the kind of guy who likes to lie around. The 35-year-old actor played rugby on the Spanish national team and is so energetic on the dance floor that one of his patented flailing moves recently broke a woman's nose at a New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of nightclub. So playing quadriplegic quadriplegic /quad·ri·ple·gic/ (-ple´jik) 1. of, pertaining to, or characterized by quadriplegia. 2. an individual with quadriplegia. Ramon Sampedro in ``The Sea Inside'' was something of an exercise in patience. To become Sampedro, a 55-year-old Spanish man who made world headlines several years ago with his crusade to end his life with dignity, Bardem would arrive on set at the crack of dawn for a five-hour makeup session that produced the necessary aging. (He had already shaved his head and eyebrows for the role.) After that, Bardem went to work for 10 hours, mostly lying immobile im·mo·bile adj. 1. Immovable; fixed. 2. Not moving; motionless. im  mo·bil in a bed. Then it was home to ... bed.
``I began to wish I was a bat so at least I could sleep upside down,'' Bardem says. ``But it was where the theory met the experience. I read about it and heard about it, then I experienced it personally and found it real. Even if it was just a short experience, you can make it much bigger to see what it's like to be 30 years stuck in that position.'' Bardem's commitment has paid off with great reviews, a Golden Globe nomination and momentum for a career that seemed stuck in neutral after he won an Oscar nod for his moving portrayal of Cuban writer Reinaldo Arenas Reinaldo Arenas (July 16, 1943 – December 7, 1990) was a Cuban poet, novelist, and playwright who despite his early sympathy for the 1959 revolution, grew critical of and then rebelled against the Cuban government. in 2000's ``Before Night Falls Before Night Falls (ISBN 1-852-42808-2) is the 1992 autobiography of gay Cuban writer Reinaldo Arenas, describing his life in Cuba, his time in prison, and his ultimate escape to the United States. .'' But then Bardem - the only Spanish actor ever to receive an Oscar nomination - has never been one to cash in on popularity. He came to fame in his native country with the 1992 sex comedy ``Jamon, Jamon,'' but he turned down subsequent offers that focused more on his looks than his acting ability. (``I don't want that kind of recognition,'' Bardem says.) After the Oscar hoopla hoop·la n. Informal 1. a. Boisterous, jovial commotion or excitement. b. Extravagant publicity: The new sedan was introduced to the public with much hoopla. 2. , it was the same thing - lots of offers to be the Latin lover See Latin Lover (TV series) for the Spanish language series. Victor Manuel Resendiz Ruis (born October 25, 1967 in Monterrey, Nuevo León) is a Mexican actor and former professional wrestler wrestling for Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA) in Mexico. . Instead, he made three good movies in Europe, turned in a memorable cameo cameo (kăm`ēō), small relief carving, usually on striated precious or semiprecious stones or on shell. The design, often a portrait head, is commonly cut in the light-colored vein, and the dark one is left as the background. in Michael Mann's ``Collateral,'' and bided his time until director Alejandro Amenabar (``The Others'') came calling with ``The Sea Inside.'' ``I've always wanted to work with Javier, but I didn't think this would be the proper project,'' says Amenabar who, like Bardem, lives in Madrid. ``After we finished the script, I started thinking about who could play it and we realized he is the best actor in Spain. It was his youth against his talent. We chose talent and figured we'd let the makeup artist worry about the rest.'' Bardem generously credits makeup artist Jo Allen with 50 percent of his performance, adding, though, that there were times he ``wanted to kill her.'' ``It was so undignified to be very still,'' Bardem says. ``But 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.'' Like most of his countrymen, Bardem followed the story of Sampedro's crusade for death in the 1990s. While a young man, Sampedro broke his neck taking an ill-advised dive into the ocean. Sampedro did not want to live a life confined con·fine v. con·fined, con·fin·ing, con·fines v.tr. 1. To keep within bounds; restrict: Please confine your remarks to the issues at hand. See Synonyms at limit. to his bed, nor did he want to be a burden to his family and began a 30-year campaign to win the right to die. When the Spanish government
``The Sea Inside'' captures the strange dichotomy between Sampedro's wish for death and his genuine enjoyment of much that life offers - family, friends, love, music. He became a celebrated writer, publishing a book of poetry and autobiographical musings and enjoyed close, loving relationships with numerous women who found him to be joyful and inspiring. ``The contradiction between what he asked for and the way he asked for it was huge,'' Bardem says. ``He was not a person stuck in the sorrow and pain. He's able to love and be loved. So your pity and your mercy doesn't have anything to do here. He's saying, 'I don't need you to tell me, ``C'mon, cheer up! You're gonna make it.'' 'Well, I don't want to make it.' '' Says actress Belen Rueda, who plays an attorney helping Sampedro: ``The question is: Are we mature enough to respect other people's wishes in the name of love, or are we going to possess them through our love? With Ramon, this is not a whim whim n. 1. A sudden or capricious idea; a fancy. 2. Arbitrary thought or impulse: governed by whim. 3. A vertical horse-powered drum used as a hoist in a mine. . He has been thinking about it for 30 years. But people are treating him like a child.'' Having turned in a performance that could well earn him a second lead actor Oscar nomination, Bardem - or his name, at least - seems a hot commodity, being bandied about for high-profile projects like Steven Soderbergh's Che Guevara Noun 1. Che Guevara - an Argentine revolutionary leader who was Fidel Castro's chief lieutenant in the Cuban revolution; active in other Latin American countries; was captured and executed by the Bolivian army (1928-1967) Ernesto Guevara, Guevara biopic bi·o·pic n. A film or television biography, often with fictionalized episodes. biopic Noun Informal a film based on the life of a famous person [bio(graphical) + pic(ture)] and the title role in Joe Carnahan's movie about Colombian drug kingpin Pablo Escobar Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria aka El Patrón or El Doctor (December 1, 1949 – December 2, 1993) gained world infamy as a Colombian drug dealer. Escobar became so wealthy from the drug trade that in 1989 Forbes . But Bardem says both projects are ``up in the air.'' As of now, he has nothing in the works and says he'd rather stay home in Spain than come to Hollywood and make a mediocre movie. In his commitment to quality and refusal to sell out for a fast buck, he brings to mind Sean Penn. And like Penn, Bardem can be outspoken politically. He criticizes those who find fault with Sampedro for wanting to kill himself, yet, ``using that same morality, kill thousands of innocent people (in Iraq) that haven't been asked if they want to die. They're viewed as numbers, the price for freedom and democracy. That's an abuse of power, as it is an abuse of power to tell somebody who wants to die that they must live a life that is difficult for them.'' He also has no patience for the Roman Catholic Church Roman Catholic Church, Christian church headed by the pope, the bishop of Rome (see papacy and Peter, Saint). Its commonest title in official use is Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. officials who denounced ``The Sea Inside'' sight unseen before it opened in Spain earlier this year. ``I spent three weeks talking to Noun 1. talking to - a lengthy rebuke; "a good lecture was my father's idea of discipline"; "the teacher gave him a talking to" lecture, speech rebuke, reprehension, reprimand, reproof, reproval - an act or expression of criticism and censure; "he had to people at a hospital who were in the same condition as Ramon,'' Bardem says. ``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.' To me, that says a lot about human beings and institutions and the value - or lack of it - they place on respect.'' Glenn Whipp, (818) 713-3672 glenn.whipp(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- cover -- color) Happy endings What `The Sea Inside' taught Javier Bardem about death - and life Tina Burch/Staff Photographer (2) Bardem, on Ramon Sampedro |
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