‘Being the Ricardos’ stars on stage

Fans cheer for Javier Bardem, Nicole Kidman at Santa Barbara International Film Festival

Javier Bardem knew a blond hairstyle would look wrong on him.

That’s why he suggested it for his villainous character, Raoul Silva, in the James Bond thriller “Skyfall.”

“I felt this guy seemed to have worked so much on his face and his body that everything should look fake,” Mr. Barden told movie critic Leonard Maltin on stage during the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. “That’s one of the things that make you uncomfortable when you see him. And blond does not match me at all.”

Mr. Bardem also recalled forgetting his lines at one point and having to explain to the director, Sam Mendes, why. He was caught up in the excitement of being in a James Bond movie.

“Then there’s a ringtone. It was Judi Dench’s cell phone,” Mr. Bardem said.

Ms. Dench, who played M in the film and was in the scene with Mr. Bardem, forgot to turn off her phone, but her ring tone was appropriate. It was fast riffs on a guitar — yes, composer Monty Newman’s classic James Bond theme.

“What a day!” Mr. Bardem said before an Arlington Theatre crowd that clearly loved him and his fellow “Being the Ricardos” star Nicole Kidman, the Australian actress who appeared on a big screen March 11 via live video-conferencing from her home.

The crowd loved the talent on stage and Mr. Bardem’s easygoing approach, full of smiles and self-deprecating humor mixed with a lot of fun. It was all part of the night in which Mr. Bardem and Ms. Kidman received the Maltin Modern Master Award, presented to both of them by Todd Black, producer of “Being the Ricardos.” The two stars have been nominated for an Oscar for their portrayal of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.

“I’m very honored,” Mr. Bardem said. “I don’t want to leave the stage! I’m so comfortable here.”

Earlier in the evening, Mr. Bardem asked the lights to go on to see the audience, who applauded like crazy for him in the packed, 2,000-seat auditorium.

“I know you were expecting Antonio Banderas to show up,” he joked. “They (the film festival) don’t have enough money, so I’m here. I’ll try to make it up to you.”

During a discussion about “Being the Ricardos,” Mr. Bardem told Mr. Maltin how Aaron Sorkin, the director and writer, packed big events in Ms. Ball’s and Mr. Arnaz’s life over five years  into one week.

The film did cover major highlights, from Ms. Ball being unfairly labeled a communist by the House Un-American Activities Committee to Mr. Arnaz’s pursuit of women, one of the factors leading to the famous couple’s eventual divorce.

Mr. Bardem said “I Love Lucy,” Ms. Ball’s and Mr. Arnaz’s iconic series and the flagship show of their Desilu studios, was less popular in his native country of Spain than in the U.S.. That meant he was less familiar than others with Mr. Arnaz.

“I think one of the things that saved me from being an absolute failure is I wasn’t as familiar as I was supposed to be,” Mr. Bardem said, referring to the fact he could take a fresh approach.

Mr. Bardem said he senses additional responsibility when he plays real people. Mr. Arnaz was the fourth real person he’s played.

He explained he was sensitive to how Ms. Ball’s and Mr. Arnaz’s children, Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr., would react to “Being the Ricardos.”

“I didn’t want to harm them or hurt their feelings by what I chose to do,” Mr. Bardem said.

He added that the challenge of playing Mr. Arnaz scared him. “But I had to be brave. We (he and Ms. Kidman) knew  we were playing iconic people. We just wanted to perform and follow the guidelines of the amazing script and direction by Aaron Sorkin.

“Thank God the magic happened because sometimes you try and it doesn’t,” he said. “And in this case, it happened.”

He said an easy aspect of the role was playing the conga drums, the instrument for which Desi Arnaz was famous.

“I like to play the drums. I’ve got the rhythm,” Mr. Bardem said, adding he worked with a teacher.

But Mr. Arnaz was also known as a great singer, and Mr. Bardem had to sing in “Being the Ricardos.”

“The singing — that’s a different story. It’s not in me,” he said. “I had a great teacher. She taught me in a very quick way how to make a different sound.”

Mr. Maltin noted Mr. Bardem’s wife, movie star Penelope Cruz, winner of the festival’s Montecito Award, “gets more beautiful with each passing year.”

“And I get uglier and uglier!” Mr. Bardem quipped.

“That’s fine because she’s with me for my money, so we’re good,” he joked.

Mr. Bardem said he will be going to two countries, tentatively Hungary and Jordan, when he reprises his role of Stilgar during the filming of the “Dune” sequel this summer.

Earlier in the evening, Ms. Kidman said she and Mr. Bardem had each other’s backs during the filming of “Being the Ricardos.” As Mr. Bardem listened, she praised him for his talent.

“I could literally lean in and get lost in him,” she said. “He’s just the greatest — the greatest! Anyone who gets to work with him, just run.

“You are just beyond generous, Javier,” she said.

Mr. Bardem’s movies have varied from “The Sea Inside” (2004) to “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” (2017) to “No Country for Old Men” (2007).

Ms. Kidman, who couldn’t come to Santa Barbara because she’s recovering after pulling her hamstring, thanked Mr. Black, the producer, for believing in her as she took on the challenge of playing Ms. Ball. Earlier, she told Mr. Maltin how she had the challenge of actually playing two people — Ms. Ball and her iconic, funny “I Love Lucy” character, Lucy Ricardo.

Mr. Bardem praised Ms. Kidman for her movies, which vary from “Birth” (2004) to “Bewitched” (2005), “The Stepford Wives” (2004), “Eyes Wide Shut” (1999), “Bombshell” (2019), “Aquaman” (2018) and “Australia” (2008).

Mr. Bardem further praised Ms. Kidman for the risks she takes and her courage with her roles.

Clips were shown from both his and Ms. Kidman’s films, and Mr. Bardem was impressed as he saw Ms. Kidman again in iconic scenes, as well with the fact that an auditorium was packed at the first in-person Santa Barbara International Film Festival since 2020. (The event was sponsored by various companies such as Belvedere Vodka, Bright Event Rentals, Downtown Santa Barbara, Sandy Stahl Realty, Simply Cocktails, Topa Topa Brewing Company, Visit The Santa Ynez Valley and Waiakea Hawaiian Volcanic Water. UGG was the presenting sponsor. Other sponsors are listed at sbiff.org.)

“It’s amazing to see those clips, one after another, in a theater full of people,” Mr. Bardem said.

email: dmason@newpress.com