Bardem blames Trump, Putin, Netanyahu 'toxic masculinity' for wars at Cannes

Spanish actor Javier Bardem said Sunday that the "toxic masculinity" of Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Benjamin Netanyahu was driving wars that have cost thousands of lives, making the remarks at a Cannes Film Festival press conference promoting his new film.

The remarks, delivered in expletive-laden language the day after his film premiered to critical acclaim, highlight Cannes' recurring role as a stage for celebrity commentary on geopolitics — and underscore deepening divisions within the entertainment industry over the Gaza conflict.

Bardem, 57, stars in "The Beloved," directed by Rodrigo Sorogoyen, playing an overbearing film director prone to explosive outbursts. The film premiered Saturday at Cannes to widespread critical praise. At Sunday's press conference, Bardem drew a direct line from his character's behavior to what he described as a crisis of male leadership on the world stage.

"That problem also goes to Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin and Mr. Netanyahu," Bardem said, according to AFP. In characteristically blunt terms, he described world leaders projecting dominance through military force as "the big boss man saying, 'My cock is bigger than yours and I'm going to bomb the shit out of you.'"

Bardem also addressed the Israeli military campaign in Gaza, which he called a genocide still being carried out. "It's a fact. You can try to justify it, explain it, but it's a fact," he told reporters, according to AFP. "If you justify it with your silence or your support, you are pro-genocide." The Gaza campaign has killed more than 72,000 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, with more than half of the dead being women and children. Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel killed 1,221 people, according to an AFP tally.

Despite the controversy his activism has generated, Bardem said his career had not suffered. Unlike actress Susan Sarandon and others who reported work drying up after speaking out against Israel's actions, Bardem told AFP he was "getting more work than ever." He attributed the shift to what he called "the narrative changing" around the Gaza conflict.

Bardem has been a vocal critic of Israel's military campaign since 2023. His comments Sunday drew immediate attention at one of the world's most high-profile cultural events, the Korea Times reported.

"The Beloved," directed by Rodrigo Sorogoyen, received widespread critical praise following its Cannes premiere Saturday, according to the Korea Times.