The actor opened up about his King Triton role and rumors about his involvement in 'Frankenstein.'
Javier Bardem is getting ready to go under the sea in The Little Mermaid, and there's nearly no one more excited than his daughter.
The Being the Ricardos star recently spoke with SiriusXM’s Jess Cagle and Julia Cunningham, where he opened up about how passionate his daughter got when he found out he was being offered the role of King Triton, ruler of the sea and father to the titular Little Mermaid, Ariel.
"When I was offered the movie, I was on a breakfast with my two kids and then I said, 'Well, they are talking about being in The Little Mermaid,' and my daughter got so emotional," recalled Bardem, who shared a 10-year-old son, Leo, and 8-year-old daughter, Luna, with wife Penelope Cruz.
"I said, 'But I'm not playing Ariel! I'm not playing Ariel,'" Bardem joked. "[She said], 'Of course not, Dad. You will be Triton, right?' And I said, 'Yes.' And that was one of the reasons what I did The Little Mermaid."
According to Bardem, another big reason for signing on to Disney's latest live-action adaptation of an animated classic was the chance to work with director Rob Marshall -- who has helmed some beloved and acclaimed modern music films including Chicago, Nine, Into the Woods, and Mary Poppins Returns.
"Rob Marshall, who I adore and admire and I love him. He's a great artist, but most importantly he's a great human being," Bardem shared. "I was so much looking forward to working with him. And when we finally meet in The Little Mermaid, he was the very first one who really gave me the chance and trust in me to sing a song."
Fans will get a chance to see Bardem really show off his singing chops in the forthcoming project, and the actor said that was an opportunity that meant a lot for him.
'That was very important for me to take the next step," Bardem explained, joking that he's actually found himself "shifting my career now as a musical actor."
Bardem stars opposite Halle Bailey, who leads the movie as the title character, and he recently opened up to ET about the 21-year-old performer's undeniable powerhouse vocal talent, and admitted that performing alongside Bailey is more than a little intimidating.
"[When you're] close to Halle, it's impossible to sing," Bardem laughingly told ET's Nischelle Turner at the Los Angeles premiere of Being the Ricardos back in December. "
"She was warming up her voice near me, and I was like 'What was that?' She goes, 'Oh, I was just warming up,'" he recalled. "It would take me five years to do that!"
The Little Mermaid is slated to hit theaters May 26, 2023.
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