Javier Bardem

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Javier Bardem wants you to know that he’s different from the boldly seductive Juan Antonio character that he plays in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona,” a romantic dramedy from filmmaker Woody Allen. Juan Antonio finds himself in a love triangle with best friends Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlett Johansson), as well as in a ménage à trois with Cristina and his crazy ex-wife, Maria Elena (Penélope Cruz). But the Spanish heartthrob says in real life he’s not a sexually aggressive playboy. Bardem, 39, recently sat down to talk about his thoughts on seduction, his talents as a painter and what it was like the night he won an Oscar for playing a cold-blooded assassin in “No Country for Old Men.”

You play a seductive Don Juan type in this movie. Did you worry about playing into a “Latin lover” stereotype?

It was a hard one. It’s so cliché. But when I read the script for the first time, I realized what [Woody Allen] wanted to do: Let’s put all the stereotypes in front of us: American tourists, a romantic town and a Latin lover. Second of all, let’s make fun of that. Third of all, let’s destroy it. Finally, we’ll see what’s behind those stereotypes, which basically it’s people that share the same fears, needs, goals, dependents, questions. Maybe asked in a different way, but looking for the same things. And I love that idea. Then you can play it knowing that behind that, there’s a lot of things he can show later on … That’s why Woody Allen is a genius. He can really go that far without being scared.

In real life, have you ever propositioned attractive American female tourists you just met somewhere?

No. I think Woody Allen to be wise and brilliant [in writing that dialogue].

What are your thoughts on seduction and how it affected your portrayal of Juan Antonio?

I think Juan Antonio reflects … one kind of a dream that men could have of themselves, or even women have about men, which is, “How much I would love to find a man who is so secure with himself, that he can really protect me in any way, and I can surrender to the fact that he’s going to be with me, holding me on one side of his arm and with the other side of his body show me life.” It’s like being a father and a lover … It’s kind of like, “Hey, I am here.” And one of them [Cristina] responds to that, and the other [Vicky] is like, “No, that can’t be true.” In the end, it’s impossible to find that, because it’s a cliché.

Do you do any painting in real life?

I studied painting for four years … and I paint myself a little bit … My painting is more figurative, faces with charcoal … drawing and a little oil, but it’s a little thing I would never show to anybody.

What was it like for you the night you won your Oscar?

That night was a crazy night, because that night always comes after nine months of tension … working and promoting the movie, speaking a foreign language. Seven or eight out of those nine months are out of your hometown. Things have really gone to a place that’s unknown for you. And then you bring 17 people from Spain, which in my case were my family and friends I’ve known since I was 12 years old. And then you put an even more nervous situation because you have 17 people, two who are located in different hotels, and you need cars and you need tickets … And then you sit down and you realize that you haven’t written a speech. So all night, I was [thinking], “What if? If I win, what do I say? I have 45 seconds [for the speech].”

I am tremendously grateful for the people in that theater for being that generous and that respectful, because I truly had the need to share that speech in Spanish with my mother, and they were so nice in allowing me that. It was a theater in L.A., with mostly American people, and I would’ve perfectly understood if I heard, “Man, c’mon. Speak English.”

Some actors show a distaste for campaigning for major awards, but you openly campaigned for yours. What can you say about that?

Of course there’s a campaign to it. You can’t say, “No, I’m not going to do a campaign.” … That’s that tricky part: Why am I doing a campaign to win anything? But at the end of the day, the important thing is to remind yourself that you are doing a job. And in your job, which is performing, there is something that theoretically helps you win more jobs: winning an award like this [Oscar]. You can’t add anything more romantic to that. Of course, you can think, “I deserve it. I didn’t deserve it. I’m worse. I’m better.” But I want to keep on working in my job and I’ll go to the end of the road to see what it feels like. And that’s why I did it.

What’s the bigger challenge: playing a character similar to you or a character that’s very different from you?

I think everything is a challenge, because I try to see the characters from where I am. I am closer to Juan Antonio than Chigurh in “No Country for Old Men,” thank God. But I’m not Juan Antonio. I wouldn’t dare say those lines at that table to [women like] Rebecca [Hall] and Scarlett [Johansson]. I would stay at the bar … drinking Diet Coke.