Javier Bardem admits kids 'don't care' about his career

msn.com:

is dad to son Leo, 11, and daughter Luna, nine, who he shares with Penelope Cruz. And he’s hoping that his new film with Shawn Mendes, Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile, is the one that’s finally going to get them caring about their dear old dad’s job.

Chatting to Metro. co. uk about why he took on the ‘surreal’ film, which sees him star as a showman alongside a singing and dancing crocodile played by Shawn Mendes, he quipped: ‘For my kids to watch a movie with dad in it, so they’re finally proud of what I do – because they don’t care!’‘I watch many family and kids’ movies because of my kids and I have to say I enjoy most of them, because most of them are great, are fun, are beautifully done,’ he added. ‘I’m speaking about the animation ones as well.

To be part of that…you’re not offered those kind of movies very often. ’But his role wasn’t exactly a piece of cake. ‘[There’s a scene where] I’m singing and dancing in front of a full theatre – there was a moment where they have to put the people in the theatre,’ he recalled. ‘So I was actually performing for 300 people – me, who’s not a singer or a dancer.

That was pretty surreal. But it was also really exciting because I really had to perform for them, not just one time but several times. ’Preparation was key, with Javier studying the ‘geniuses’ of comedy, including Buster Keaton, to get his performance spot on. ‘I was watching a lot of physical comedy on shows or in movies, even old movies, not to imitate that but to be aware of the skills that those people have that I don’t have,’ he explained.