Bardem at Cannes blasts ‘toxic masculinity’ of Trump, Putin, Netanyahu

Bardem was speaking at a press conference on Sunday for the film “El ser querido” (“The Beloved”), a psychological drama by director Rodrigo Sorogoyen that explores themes of masculinity alongside a fraught father-daughter relationship. Bardem plays an eccentric filmmaker who reunites with his daughter, portrayed by Vicky Luengo, after many years and casts her in a film.

The Oscar-winning actor said his character embodied patterns of toxic masculinity — a mindset in which men view themselves as dominant, controlling and as the driving force.

“I’m 57 years old, coming from a very machista country called Spain, where there is an average of two women killed monthly by their ex-husbands or ex-boyfriends, which is horrible. Just that amount of women being murdered, it’s unbelievable,” he said.

“And we kind of normalized it. It’s like, ‘Well, yeah, it’s horrible.’ I mean, are we fucking nuts? We are killing women because some men think they own them, they possess them.”

Bardem then took aim at the leaders of the US, Russia and Israel.

“And that problem also goes to Mr Trump and Mr Putin and Mr Netanyahu, the big balls men saying, ‘My big, my cock is bigger than yours, and I’m gonna bomb the shit out of you.’ It’s a fucking male toxic behaviour that is creating thousands of dead people, so yeah, we have to talk about it,” he said.

“El ser querido” is one of 22 films vying for Cannes’ top prize, the Palme d’Or.