Javier Bardem Recalled His Last Name Being a "Target" for the Extreme Right-Wing

Maybe you know him from Dune Part 1 and 2, playing the loyal Stilgar, or perhaps from Netflix’s Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. Or maybe you just know him because he’s married to Penélope Cruz. Either way, you probably recognize Javier Bardem from some big film or TV show. But we’re not here to talk about his latest roles or his impeccable acting skills; we’re diving deeper into who Javier is and what he stands for politically.

During the 2025 Emmys red carpet, Javier used his time speaking with The Hollywood Reporter to call for an end to the ongoing war between Israel and Palestine, specifically referencing Israel’s actions as genocide. This statement has sparked discussion about Javier’s political views and even prompted questions about where he comes from. So, let’s get into it.

Javier Bardem said that he’s someone who, like his family, stands for justice, equality, and protecting the “rights of those who are the weakest,” as he described in a 2021 interview with Awards Watch.

He has expressed how “dangerous” it is for the far right to eliminate the rights of those who don’t align with them, using the example of how “the extreme right-wing are trying to eliminate all the lesbian, gay, transsexual, bisexual rights that we have secured with so much fight through the years,” comparing it to the ’60s or ’70s in Spain. He even described this trend as “going backward.”

Now, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Javier leans more toward the left, supporting people who favor equal rights among citizens, compared to the far right, which tends to favor the wealthy. That’s because his political perspective is partially shaped by his family. Both his mother, Pilar Bardem, an actress, and his uncle, Juan Antonio Bardem, a filmmaker, weren’t afraid to stand up for their leftist or communist-like views.

His uncle was even imprisoned by Francisco Franco for expressing anti-fascist views through his films. His mother faced persecution as well, “not as harsh or as directly as [his] uncle,” but she still endured backlash for their political stance.

Javier has said that the Bardem surname “in the times of the regime and even afterwards when the Constitution happened … was a surname that was linked to persecution,” adding “Yeah, it was a targeting surname for the extreme right-wing, for fascism.”

For context, Javier is from Spain. He was born in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and raised in Madrid, according to Britannica.

We mentioned that Javier comes from a family of outspoken advocates who support human rights, so it wasn’t surprising when, during the 2025 Emmys, he used his red carpet interview with The Hollywood Reporter to call on Israel to stop the genocide in Palestine, even saying “Free Palestine” while wearing a keffiyeh scarf.

He also told the outlet, “We are getting together Film Workers for Palestine. It’s a great union [and] group,” and added that “we stand with those who fight and stand in solidarity with the oppressed.”

Bardem went further, saying he “will never work with some company now [who] are not condemning the genocide in Gaza.” In regard to whether that stance might affect the number of jobs he books, he explained, “Me not getting jobs is absolutely relevant compared to what is going on there.”