Javier Bardem's Life, Love, and Career

Dedicated to my former but very dear student Ana S.

Before you watch

 

. Look at the photo below. Do you know this man?

. What do you know about him? 

. Below, there’s a list of movies starring Javier Bardem and a list of the roles he played in these movies. Join with arrows. Then watch PART 1 (minutes 0:00- 4:00´) and check your predictions.

Which role did he play?

MOVIE                       CHARACTER

1. “No country for old men”                         a. a heartthrob
2. “Biutiful”                                                  b. Julia Roberts' love
3. “The Sea Inside”                                      c. a cold-hearted killer
4. "Before Night Falls."                                d. a quadriplegic fighting for the right to die
5. "Eat, Pray, Love."                                    e. A jailed Cuban poet Reinaldo Arenas
6. Vicky Cristina Barcelona                         f. a hustler trying to make a life for his two children

Look at the mindmap below. What aspects of Bardem's life could the words and images refer to? Make predictions. Then, keep watching, check your predictions and  complete the mind-map as you go along.

 

What did you learn about Bardem after watching the video? Report to the class.

FOCUS ON VOCABULARY 

What do the words/ expressions in bold mean?

1.    "When you are doing a character, you have to put your judgments aside"

2.    The film runs through the back alleys of Barcelona, deep into a grim part of the city you don't see in the travel brochures

3.    He credits the group AC/DC for his fluency in English, in some respects

4.    He dedicated the award to Cruz - "My joy, my friend, my companion, my love" - a rare public display for the famously private couple.

5.    Like it or not, fame has found Javier Bardem, but he keeps it in perspective.

6.    "It doesn't help to create a better world, no? When people are talking about themselves on and on?

Follow up

 Get into groups of 3 read about Bardem's early life, career or  personal life. Then tell each other what you've found out.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Javier_Bardem                                                 (Follow up)

KEY

1. C

2. F

3. D

4. E

5. B

6. A

http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-3445_162-7231013.html                          (Video transcript)