AN Oscar-winning actor has revealed a stunning past life as an international rugby star.
The star, who hails from the Canary Islands, Spain, played for his nation and was in attendance at the Rugby World Cup semi-final between Argentina and New Zealand last month.
He gave up playing rugby aged 23 to dedicate himself to his current job full-time.
The actor often steals the show on the big screen with his portrayal of terrifying villains.
They won their Academy Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in 2008.
This was due to his chilling performance as Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men.
The 54-year-old later played Raoul Silva in James Bond.
His work has also seen him land roles in the Pirates of the Caribbean and more recently Dune.
Still haven’t got it?
The mystery star can be revealed as Javier Bardem.
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The star is none other than Javier Bardem[/caption]
Bardem has played some of the most iconic villains in modern cinema[/caption]
Bardem was speaking on Rugby Pass ahead of the semi-final between Argentina and beaten finalists New Zealand.
He revealed: “I played for Spain. I started when I was nine years old and I played until I was 23. I love it, it is my passion.
“I’m always saying that playing rugby in Spain is like being a bullfighter in Japan.
“It didn’t make any sense back then but now, thank God, there is a lot of support in Spain for rugby.”
Asked what made him fall in love with the sport, he said: “It’s my favourite sport of them all because of the ethics, because of the union of the team, because of the respect to the fellow players and the referees.
“The ethics of rugby are amazing. I don’t like lately that people are whistling when the players are kicking. We are better than that.
“We have a lot of lessons to give to the kids and one of the things I love about rugby is the ethics – respect the kicker.”
Bardem then revealed he used to play as a prop alongside his brother, Carlos.
He added: “I was a prop, believe it or not, a small prop, number three.
“My brother Carlos and I, we were called ‘Los Mendrugos’, which is the hard part of the bread.”
Barden won his Academy Award in 2008[/caption]
