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Friday, August 25, 1995

By Lori Swingle

Summer Bruin Contributor

When a new actor bursts onto the movie scene he is often pegged as the next so-and-so, or a young version of "that other guy." Well, Spain has a new export and the consensus seems to be that he is the next Antonio Banderas. Javier Bardem, still unknown to American moviegoers, has been working steadily and winning acting awards in Spain for films that have never received an international release. Until now.

Given "Mouth to Mouth" distributor Miramax's success with the foreign film, "Il Postino," there is a chance that Bardem could become a break-out star.

"I think that (Banderas) has what he was looking for and that's great. I don't want to be Antonio Banderas, because I don't want to be a star," he says.

Ironically, in the film Bardem plays Victor Ventura, an out-of-work actor who longs to be famous in America. To make ends meet he works as a phone sex operator and gets into some trouble with his clients.

"This was my first chance to change my role ­ in Spain I'm a little tied up for the characters I play. I'd never done a comedy before," he says.

Bardem has come to fame in Europe playing the more macho, sexy roles ­ and he does that in "Mouth to Mouth;" however, his more serious, almost nerdy side is also exposed.

"The clumsy guy with glasses that drop on the floor, that's me," he says.

Bardem claims that he is not the womanizing, egotistical man so many people perceive him to be. He has his own ideas about his life and acting career, and he will sacrifice neither, despite the rewards.

"I prefer to stay at home studying and reading with my girlfriend than to work with something I don't believe in," he says.

Bardem is not driven by the allure of money, and he refuses to move to America and become a slave to the Hollywood game. For Bardem, it is more important to support his own country and to remember the industry that gave him his career.

In "Mouth to Mouth," Victor is uninterested in Spanish cinema until his culture is insulted by an American director; he then becomes indignant and reclaims his heritage. The character reflects the sentiments of many Europeans towards the popularity of American films in Europe.

"It's how every country in Europe feels about American cinema. There are for example 20 cinemas and in 19 there are American movies ­ I don't like that because we have our own industry and we have to fight for it," he says.

Though Bardem is very defensive of European cinema, he is not above taking roles in American movies. "I'd like to work in movies all around the world," he admits. "I don't care if it's in America, India or Pakistan ­ wherever there is a big role, a big character, a nice story."

Bardem is fulfilling his dream of working around the globe by starring in a sequel to "Wild at Heart" with Rosie Perez. For an actor whose career began on a lark ­ he accompanied his sister to an audition and walked away with a job ­ Bardem continues to find success which could make him a star whether he likes it or not.

"I can't imagine what it is to be a star," Bardem says, "That's got to be horrible!"

Film: "Mouth to Mouth," starring Javier Bardem, opens Sept. 6.

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