The world saw Javier Bardem, legendary Spanish actor, Oscar winner, and one-time Bond villain, sitting in the crowd at MetLife Stadium, supporting Spain at the World Cup Final in New Jersey on Sunday.
Just hours after the game wrapped, with Spain defeating Argentina 1-0 to reclaim the World Cup trophy after 16 years, Bardem headed back to his hotel room and joined Mehdi for an exclusive live chat on YouTube and Substack.
The two of them discussed the game itself and Argentina’s poor performance; Donald Trump embarrassing himself during the trophy presentation; whether the match was a proxy for Palestine vs Israel, given the latter’s loud support for Argentina and Spain’s backing of the Palestinians in Gaza; and also, the Spanish government’s anti-war stance on Iran.
The actor told Mehdi that it was important to be able to speak out against what he called the “genocide” in Gaza and the “war criminal” Benjamin Netanyahu without being accused of, or engaging in, antisemitism. In fact, the conversation touched on everything from the “crazy impunity” enjoyed by Israel to the way in which Donald Trump and Javier Milei don’t represent their people to the ridiculously high ticket price at World Cup games in 2026.
Bardem also revealed his plans for the theater stage and plugged his forthcoming movie with his wife, Penelope Cruz.
It is a conversation, above, that you will not want to miss, and which we are releasing without a paywall.
If you’re already a paid subscriber to Zeteo, thank you so much for your support, but do also consider becoming a donor if you can. If you’re a free subscriber and haven’t yet upgraded to paid, well, what are you waiting for? Zeteo books big-name, left-wing guests like Javier Bardem on the day of the World Cup Final. What more do we have to do to earn your support?
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