One of the most memorable moments at the Cannes Film Festival occurred when a Chilean journalist tried to joke about the relationship between Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz, without imagining the response he would receive.
During the press conference for the film Everybody Knows, the reporter asked Bardem: “How does it feel to be the only man in the world who enjoys working with his wife?”. The room fell silent for a few seconds, until the actor responded with absolute calm:
“The question is tremendously tasteless.”
His response prompted immediate applause from the journalists present and left the interviewer completely taken aback.
After Bardem’s intervention, Penélope Cruz took the floor to explain that they have worked together on different occasions because they share the same way of understanding cinema, although they try not to do so too often in order to maintain a balance between their personal and professional lives.
The episode was covered by numerous international media outlets, and many described the question as sexist, since it was based on the idea that working with one’s own wife had to be something negative or exceptional.
Years later, the video continues to circulate on social media as an example of the way Bardem defended his partner without resorting to insults or raising his voice. With a single sentence, he turned an uncomfortable joke into a conversation about respect and equality.
Precisely for that reason, many consider that response to still be one of the best lessons an actor has given in front of the press.
Watch the video below: