The Silva depicter in the twenty-third James Bond film says that his character may be a homosexual but notes, 'Beyond the sexuality, he wanted it to feel like you don't know if Silva's joking or not.'
- October 17, 2012
AceShowbiz -
Is Javier Bardem playing a gay Bond villain in "Skyfall"? Judging from Bardem's performance in the twenty-third 007 movie, some people speculate that the actor's villainous character Silva has a certain interest in Bond other than just dominating the world. Weighing in on the subject, the Oscar-winning thesp teases to Entertainment Weekly that the speculation may be true.
"You could read it that way," the husband of Penelope Cruz says when asked if he actually plays a homosexual villain. "That option was there in the script. The word that [director Sam Mendes] kept using was 'uncomfortableness.' Beyond the sexuality, he wanted it to feel like you don't know if Silva's joking or not."
At one point in the movie, Silva, a blond-haired cyber terrorist who has a complicated history with Bond's superior M, is seen [SPOILER ALERT!] holding Bond prisoner when they first meet at the villain's lair. Silva ties 007 to a chair and he shows some gestures that indicate he's into the license-to-kill agent.
Commenting on it, director Mendes says, "I think there's a huge homoerotic undertow in a lot of Bond movies. And there's a lot of camp, too. And I wanted to embrace that." He adds, "Then Javier took it on and shifted it to another level on the day we shot it. The way he undoes the buttons of Bond's shirt, I was very particular about pushing the discomfort. I said to Javier, 'You're f***ing with him.' Is he into Bond or does he just want to freak him out?"
"Skyfall" will open wide in the United States on November 9 with Daniel Craig returning as James Bond. The movie has generated positive early reviews from critics so far. Some reviewers praised Craig's performance as the beloved spy, while some others even dubbed the film "the best Bond in 40 years."
In the upcoming film, Bond's loyalty to M (Judi Dench) is tested when her past comes back to haunt her. As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost.
When Bond's latest assignment goes gravely wrong and agents around the world are exposed, MI6 is attacked forcing M to relocate the agency. These events cause her authority and position to be challenged by Gareth Mallory (Ralph Fiennes), the new Chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee.
With MI6 now compromised from both inside and out, M is left with one ally she can trust: Bond. 007 takes to the shadows - aided only by field agent, Eve (Naomie Harris) - following a trail to the mysterious Silva (Bardem), whose lethal and hidden motives have yet to reveal themselves.
