Javier Bardem Says He Was ‘Depressed’ During ‘No Country for Old Men’ Production: Co-Star Josh Brolin ‘Rescued Me’

Javier Bardem found himself in a foreign country, surrounded by strangers, during one of his first American films “No Country for Old Men.”

Bardem, who went on to land an Academy Award for the icon Coen Brothers’ Best Picture-winning feature, told Deadline that he was “depressed” during the production of the thriller. It was his co-star Josh Brolin who became a beacon on set.

“I was kind of depressed in ‘No Country’ for several reasons, for some personal reasons,” Bardem said. “It was a moment in my life where I was going through a crisis like many other moments. But I was taken to the middle of America to play this very dark role within an American cast and American crew for the first time in my life. So I felt kind of alone and absolutely detached from the whole surroundings.”

He added that some of those emotions became instrumental to playing the serial killer character.

“I guess some of that jumped into the character as well because he was somebody who was emotionally detached from others. He doesn’t care,” Bardem said.

When he was not acting, Bardem relied on Brolin as a source of human connection who helped him acclimate.

“Josh Brolin was my lifesaver. I mean, he was so nice and helpful and loving, and he really rescued me and showed me the light,” Bardem said. “We had a greatest time. I consider him to be a great human being and a good friend.”

Bardem is now Golden Globe-nominated for another crime drama, this time with his debut limited series “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.” However, Bardem’s roles don’t reflect his personal tastes.

“I’m not very much into violence myself, and I’m not a spectator of especially violent movies,” Bardem said. “I don’t like it. Funny enough, I’ve done some of those as well when I was younger. I also don’t feel comfortable watching very explicit sex scenes in any movie. I guess I’m getting older. I go, ‘Listen, guys, unless it’s absolutely necessary for the story to be told and to advance the story, fine.’ But most of the time it’s just gratuitous.”

Bardem will next star in violent thriller “Cape Fear,” his second TV role. Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese, the latter of whom directed the 1991 version, are executive producing the reboot from writer and showrunner Nick Antosca.