{"id":433519,"date":"2026-05-18T15:14:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T15:14:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/433519\/"},"modified":"2026-05-18T15:14:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T15:14:11","slug":"javier-bardem-slams-trump-and-netanyahu-at-cannes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/433519\/","title":{"rendered":"Javier Bardem Slams Trump and Netanyahu at Cannes"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-start=\"223\" data-end=\"518\">The Oscar-winning Spanish actor ignited headlines after launching a sharp attack on Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, and Benjamin Netanyahu during a press conference for his latest film, The Beloved. Bardem directly linked global conflict and violence to what he described as \u201ctoxic masculinity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"520\" data-end=\"607\">His assertive comments soon dominated conversations across the Cannes Film Festival.<\/p>\n<p>Javier Bardem Connects Masculinity to Violence<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"660\" data-end=\"836\">While promoting director Rodrigo Sorogoyen\u2019s psychological drama The Beloved, Javier Bardem reflected on themes of damaged masculinity and abusive behaviour shown in the film.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"838\" data-end=\"1060\">Bardem plays Esteban Martinez, a volatile filmmaker attempting to reconnect with his estranged daughter. However, the actor used the discussion to address broader social issues, particularly violence against women and war.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1062\" data-end=\"1166\">\u201cI\u2019m 57 years old, coming from a very machista country called Spain,\u201d Bardem said during the conference.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1168\" data-end=\"1313\">He pointed out the alarming number of women killed by former partners in Spain and criticised society for becoming numb to gender-based violence.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1315\" data-end=\"1404\">\u201cWe are killing women because some men think they own them, they possess them,\u201d he added. The actor then turned the discourse toward world politics.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1453\" data-end=\"1594\">\u201cThat problem also goes to Mr Trump, Mr Putin, and Mr Netanyahu,\u201d Bardem said, accusing the leaders of embodying destructive male behaviour.<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-397259 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/javier-bardem-toxic-males-the-beloved-1024x538.jpg\" alt=\"javier-bardem-toxic-males-the-beloved\" width=\"696\" height=\"366\"  \/>Javier Bardem Plays Esteban Martinez in The Beloved<br \/>\nCannes Press Conference Turns Explosive<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1640\" data-end=\"1734\">Javier Bardem\u2019s strongest remarks came while describing what he believes fuels modern warfare. He claimed that these figures engaged in warfare as a means to assert their masculinity, explaining it as \u201cmale toxic behaviour that is creating thousands of dead people.\u201d This statement brought global attention to the star.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1984\" data-end=\"2188\">Bardem has remained one of Hollywood\u2019s most outspoken voices regarding Gaza since the conflict escalated in 2023. <a title=\"Cannes 2026: The Biggest Movies Lighting Up the Red Carpet This Year\" href=\"https:\/\/www.brandsynario.com\/cannes-2026-the-biggest-movies\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">During Cannes<\/a>, he once again accused Israel of committing \u201cgenocide\u201d in Gaza.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2190\" data-end=\"2352\">\u201cIt\u2019s a fact,\u201d Bardem stated. \u201cYou can try to justify it, explain it, but it\u2019s a fact. If you justify it with your silence or your support, you are pro-genocide.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-397258 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/javier-bardem-toxic-males-the-support-1024x538.jpg\" alt=\"javier-bardem-toxic-males-the-support\" width=\"696\" height=\"366\"  \/>Bardem Wears a Keffiyeh at the 2025 Emmy Awards<br \/>\nThe Actor Says Fear Still Exists in Hollywood<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2573\" data-end=\"2730\">Despite his public activism, Javier Bardem revealed that speaking openly about political issues still carries consequences within the entertainment industry.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2732\" data-end=\"2767\">\u201cThe fear does exist,\u201d he admitted. Granted that one has to do things, even if you feel a bit scared or afraid. You have to be able to look at yourself in the mirror.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2903\" data-end=\"3006\">The actor also criticised what he described as Hollywood\u2019s \u201ccomfort level\u201d around political silence. Earlier this year, Bardem wore a \u201cNo to war\u201d patch and a pro-Palestine pin at the 2026 Oscars. While presenting an award, he declared: \u201cNo to war and free Palestine.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3176\" data-end=\"3231\">According to Bardem, the audience had a positive response to this.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3233\" data-end=\"3434\">\u201cWhen I said \u2018free Palestine\u2019 in the room, in that theatre, the room broke out in a round of applause,\u201d he said. \u201cSo there is support, there are a lot of people supporting it, but it\u2019s not loud enough.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cannes Once Again Becomes Political<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3476\" data-end=\"3627\">The Cannes Film Festival has long blended cinema with politics, but Bardem\u2019s comments pushed this year\u2019s event into especially controversial territory.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3629\" data-end=\"3795\">Meanwhile, The Beloved continues receiving strong critical praise, with reviewers highlighting Bardem\u2019s intense performance as one of the festival\u2019s standout roles.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3797\" data-end=\"3912\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\">For now, Javier Bardem\u2019s political remarks are generating as much discussion as the film itself.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Oscar-winning Spanish actor ignited headlines after launching a sharp attack on Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, and Benjamin&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":433520,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[8551,35493,430,65,156,111,139,69],"class_list":["post-433519","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-celebrities","tag-benjamin-netanyahu","tag-cannes","tag-celebrities","tag-donald-trump","tag-entertainment","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/433519","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=433519"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/433519\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/433520"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=433519"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=433519"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=433519"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}