When an actor books a big-time role in a well-known property, you would think they would be excited for everyone around the world to see it, but when Oscar winner Javier Bardem got the part of King Triton in the live-action The Little Mermaid, he feared one audience in particular: his kids.
Bardem isn’t really known for his “family-friendly” parts. Seeing as one of his most famous (maybe the most) roles involves him being a psychotic killer that uses a pressurized cattle gun for murderous means in No Country For Old Men, his turn in The Little Mermaid seems a bit of a departure for him. So why take it?
In a chat with The Hollywood Reporter, Bardem revealed that he’s played the bad guy part so many times that he wanted to do something his young children could watch and enjoy. He said the fact that Triton is struggling with his love of Ariel and realizing she wants to leave the nest really spoke to him.
“It’s about the fear and the insecurity that one feels as a father in order to understand and accept the fact that your kids are going to fly free sooner or later,” Bardem said. “And, as a father, I related to that. In Rob [Marshall] and John’s [DeLuca] version, they have strengthened that side of the story.… It’s more reliable and more emotional than the original…with all the respect and love for the original, of course.”
That doesn’t mean he was necessarily looking forward to them watching his performance, something they hadn’t really done before – mainly because he doesn’t do kids’ movies.
“Yeah, that was a good reason for me to say yes to this on top of many other reasons, but the fact that I could share this with my kids was an important one. They haven’t seen it yet but they will, and that will be a baptism by fire for me. Let’s see if I survive that.”
Even Melissa McCarthy — who plays Ursula in the movie — said Bardem’s reputation preceded him. She said she was “really nervous” to meet him but that he immediately put her at ease with his huggable demeanor.
“He’s so sweet, and I always find it fascinating how people throw their energy so differently per their characters,” she said, “Of course, I’m a fan like everybody else, but you don’t know what you’re going to come up against.”
Hopefully his kids have a similar reaction.