Javier Bardem has a Spanish film at Cannes this year that is getting great reviews, but sounds like a really tough watch. The Beloved follows Javier’s character, a director, who reaches out to his estranged adult daughter, an actress, to be in his next film. And along the way there’s a lot of manipulation and toxic behavior. (The Guardian calls it Javier’s “scariest performance since No Country For Old Men,” and them’s fightin’ words.) So naturally Javier was asked about that theme of toxic behavior, specifically of the male variety, and the man did not mince his words, saying that “f–king male toxic behavior” in our world leaders and intimate partners is killing thousands of people. I’d call that a pretty accurate and honest assessment.

Oscar-winning actor Javier Bardem unleashed a profanity-laced critique at the Cannes Film Festival on Sunday, taking aim at world leaders including Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Bardem said toxic masculinity, a central theme in his new film “The Beloved,” stems from “the bad education that we have received for many ages,” adding that he, too, is a product of that culture.

“I’m 57 years old, coming from a very machista country called Spain,” he said.

The “No Country for Old Men” star pointed to violence against women in his home country as a stark example of how toxic masculinity can become normalized.

“There is an average of two women killed monthly by their ex-husbands or ex-boyfriends, which is horrible,” Bardem said. “Just that amount of women being murdered — it’s unbelievable. And we’ve kind of normalized it. It’s like, ‘Well, yeah, it’s horrible.’ I mean, are we f–king nuts? We are killing women because some men think thye own them? They possess them?”

Bardem, who is married to fellow Hollywood star Penelope Cruz, then argued that some world leaders have the same mindset.

“And that problem also goes to Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin and Mr. Netanyahu,” he said. “The big balls man saying, ‘My c-ck is bigger than yours, and I’m going to bomb the sh-t out of you.’ That is f–king male toxic behavior that is creating thousands of dead people.”

[From HuffPost]

As someone who watches an inordinate amount of Dateline and 48 Hours and 20/20, I agree, wholeheartedly, that there is a fundamental f–k up in society where men are clinging to the centuries-old false belief that they own women, and this plays out on a micro scale in our individual lives and globally to the point where I’d say it’s more than obvious that men’s time in power should be ended and labeled the failed experiment that it is/was. But what do I know, I have boobs. Anyway, I love that there’s no pretense with Javier Bardem — if he’s speaking out about something, it’s because he’s passionate about it. This authenticity is what makes his performances so grounded. It’s a cliche, but putting yourself in someone else’s shoes really does pave the way for empathy and understanding. I imagine acting and exploring different kinds of manhood is a personal form of conversation that Javier has with himself, before taking thoughts like this out into the wider world of public opinion. I mean, a man who’s played everything from Anton Chigurh in No Country For Old Men to King Triton in the live-action Little Mermaid ought to have some pretty interesting thoughts on masculinity! Overall, it’s just so refreshing that we’re hearing adult men openly discussing how to be good, better men, and I’m not surprised it’s talented character actors leading the charge.

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Photos credit: Julie Edwards/Avalon, Lionel Guericolas/Avalon, Olivier Huitel/Avalon