Javier Bardem talks about what Eat Pray Love means to him

(MakingOf) What has to be there for you to get involved in a project?

(Javier Bardem) I guess there must be some rationales in yourself to be attached to something.  It can be intellectual, emotional, ehtical.  Something that you feel that is worth to tell, and that is worth to defend, because it's not only about performing it, it's about being here and defending it also.  So you better be liking what you're doing.  That is in the case that you can choose, if you cannot choose you just do it for a living, which is another great option of doing things.  Just because you have to get some money, but this is not the case because I'm lucky that I could choose, and I chose this because I think it's important for women and men, it doesn't matter, the gender, it's about it's not about female or male.  It's about a movie that speaks about struggling with your fears, doubts, insecurities, and overcoming them, which is, as we all know, difficult.

(MO) So for this movie you were brought in towards the end, the end of the filming.  As an actor so much of being on set is a family.  How was that for you to jump in at the end?

(JB) Totally, I felt a little bit insecure.  I felt like, as you very well said, it was the fourth month...they had been together for three months and then you just show up and you are like the new kid in town.  So yeah I felt a little bit insecure, but Ryan and Julia, they really welcomed me, and 30 minutes after I felt like I was in the right place, with the right people.  So all those fears go away and you just put yourself working...working hard because they both work hard.  Also, not missing the pleasure of working that hard.

(MO) You are known for just your craft, and again getting back to your diverse roles...are there certain things that you do to prepare for each role?

(JB) I think every role is different, like for example, for Felipe in this movie I had the chance to meet the real one, who is an amazing man, very wise, very sensitive, very smart I think.  But also very peaceful, he really has forgiven himself and you can tell that, it's very healing to be close to him.  But then when you play the character you have to forget about that and do it in your way.  At the end, every character is something that you have to read in your own words, and portray it in your own perspective because that's why this work is so good, because the same character played by different people can be so different.  And it depends on the personality of the actor who's playing it, the character will be one direction or the other direction.  So at the end you do what you can.  You prepare differently but at the same time, we all do the same which is to bring honesty and bring truth to what we're doing.  It doesn't matter really what's the code, you know, that you bring that truth.