“Nobody plays a villain better than Javier,” says executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer of Javier Bardem’s role in the upcoming Disney blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. Bardem may know a thing or two about playing a villain. In 2008’s No Country for Old Men, not only was he awarded an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, he was also deemed one of the best villains in history by EW. Could his latest role in the Disney sequel rank among the best?
In the fifth film of the multibillion-dollar franchise, Bardem plays Armando Salazar, a Spanish captain that happens to be “an old enemy of Jack (Sparrow), who has been cursed because of Jack,” says co-director Espen Sandberg. After escaping the Devil’s Triangle, where Sparrow cursed him to, Salazar and his crew of fear-inducing, ghostly sailors vow revenge against Sparrow. They aim to kill every pirate that crosses their path. Captain Sparrow’s only hope is to find the mythical Trident of Poseidon – a powerful artifact that bestows upon its possessor total control over the seas – before Salazar finds him.
“I am a big fan of the series,” says Bardem, in an exclusive clip debuting his character Salazar, “I was very excited to be part of it.” Bardem joins co-directors Sandberg and Joachim Rønning, Brazilian actress Kaya Scodelario (Carina Smyth), and a returning cast that includes Johnny Depp (Captain Jack Sparrow), Geoffrey Rush (Captain Barbosa), Orlando Bloom (Will Turner), Keira Knightley (Elizabeth Swann), and a surprise appearance by Sir Paul McCartney.
We’re always here for another Javier Bardem villain. This Pirates of the Caribbean installment will delight adventure-seeking fans of all ages. And from his haunting walk, to the way his eyes blaze when he sees a “Wanted” flyer for Sparrow, Bardem will be Pirates’ most memorable villain yet.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales hits theaters on May 26, 2017.