Thanks to his portrayal of ‘Max Cady’ in the new Apple TV adaptation of ‘Cape Fear‘, Oscar Award-winning actor Javier Bardem (‘No Country For Old Men‘, ‘Dune‘) has been having a bit of a moment lately. Recent press conducted around that role has found Bardem once again showcasing his love for heavy metal and rock.
While Bardem‘s admiration of genre pillars like Judas Priest and AC/DC—the latter of whom he credits with helping him learn how to speak English—have been known staples in his musical diet, Bardem also enjoys a number of more contemporary artists as well.
In a piece published with Kerrang! earlier this month, Bardem went so far as to say that he channeled the energy from songs by Linkin Park, Slipknot, Falling In Reverse and Bad Omens to get him into character for ‘Cape Fear‘. He was quoted on that as follows:
“I listened to five songs especially. Two from Linkin Park: ‘Given Up‘, with the great Chester, and ‘Up From The Bottom‘ from the last album, From Zero. I think [Emily Armstrong] is an amazing singer. She really brought it back. Those two songs really express frustration and the fight for raising up from [one’s] own ashes that [resonates] with Max. And songs by Slipknot, Falling In Reverse and Bad Omens. I’m so bad with the names of songs, but they were in my head all day long before doing anything and helped put me in the mood.”
However, Bardem was quick to clarify that he’s no metal tourist, and that heavier music is very much a way of life for him:
“It’s not that I use the music, it’s that I can’t live without it. It’s what I listen to: when I drive, when I’m being driven, before I go to sleep… Yeah, I listen to Slipknot to go to sleep. For me, metal is… a way of living.”
He also went on to praise the metal community and the sense of brotherhood he’s experienced in it:
“I went to the Power Trip festival especially to see the first AC/DC concert in so many years, the PWR/UP tour. And I was in the pit and people went, ‘Oh!’, but they leave you alone. [It’s just] ‘Hey, welcome! Great!’ I love that. That’s brotherhood. ‘I know why you are here and I’m not going to fuck with that. You enjoy your thing. Let’s enjoy it together.’ You don’t feel that in many other music styles, you know? There’s too much [miming taking a selfie]. In heavy metal and hard rock, people are listening to the music.”
He later added:
“It’s a way of feeling. It’s a way of belonging to a community of people. It’s what I like. And the older I get, the more I like it, and the less I like the other options. I think I can listen to anything, because I really respect music and musicians. But the thing that makes my heart beat is metal.”
You can find more on Bardem‘s lifelong passion for metal and hard rock over at Kerrang!.
