May 6, 2026, 1:59 p.m. ET
Javier Bardem has no qualms after losing jobs over his support of Palestine.
The “Cape Fear” actor opened up about how his recent outspoken anti-war sentiments, including saying, “No to war, free Palestine” on the Oscars stage to applause, have actually resulted in some in Hollywood cutting ties.
In an interview with Variety published Tuesday, May 5, Bardem said he has received some industry pushback over his stance.
“Yes, I’ve heard things: ‘They were going to call you about that project, but that’s gone.’ Or ‘this brand was going to ask you to do the campaign, but they cannot,'” Bardem told the outlet. But that doesn’t mean Bardem has had trouble working.
“It’s fine. I live in Spain. American studios are not the only place,” he continued.
The Spanish actor lives in his native country with wife Penélope Cruz.
Bardem said that Susan Sarandon – also a vocal supporter of Palestine – has also gotten pushback, saying, “That tells you how wrong this whole system is.” He recalled the actress, who said she was dropped by her agent in 2023 over her support, receiving “professional punishment” for being “one of the first ones to go there.”
But there is a silver lining, he said.
“Some people will put you on a blacklist. I cannot tell you if that’s true or not – I don’t have the facts,” Bardem added. “What I do have the facts about are the new people that are calling you because they want you in their project. That makes me feel that the narrative that they’ve been using for so long is changing.”
At the Emmys in September, Bardem was among the stars wearing red Artists4Ceasefire pins calling for an end to Israel’s military campaign in the Gaza Strip. And at the Oscars, he wore a red patch that contained the phrase “No a la guerra,” or “No to war” in Spanish.
He told USA TODAY on the carpet at Vanity Fair’s Oscars afterparty that he was “sad” to be re-wearing the pin after decades of activism.
“We’re going back to the same beginning of lying and manipulating us in information and narratives they want to put out there for us to believe,” he said. “It’s about creating chaos that only benefits the richest and the people that has the power.”
