Javier Bardem made a powerful statement at the 2025 Emmy Awards, arriving on the red carpet wearing a keffiyeh scarf and voicing his solidarity with Film Workers for Palestine. In an interview with Variety’s Marc Malkin, Bardem declared that he “cannot work with someone who justifies or supports the genocide.”
Javier Bardem says “I will not work” with any film or TV company “who justifies or supports the genocide” in Gaza: “It’s as simple as that. We should not be able to that, in this industry or any industry.” #Emmys pic.twitter.com/q1rMBi8H3m
— Variety (@Variety) September 14, 2025
“Today, I stand here to denounce the genocide in Gaza,” Bardem said. “The International Association of Genocide Scholars, who rigorously study these crimes, has recognized it as genocide. That’s why we are calling for commercial and diplomatic blockades as well as sanctions on Israel to bring it to an end. Free Palestine.”
Read more: ‘Adolescence,’ ‘The Studio’ dominate television’s Emmy Awards
His comments came just days after 3,900 film and television professionals signed a pledge organized by Film Workers for Palestine. The pledge commits signees to refusing collaboration with Israeli institutions and companies they describe as “implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people.” It further defines complicity as “whitewashing or justifying genocide and apartheid, and/or partnering with the government committing them.”
Paramount responded to the open letter on Friday with a statement opposing boycotts of Israel’s film and television sector. “At Paramount, we believe in the power of storytelling to connect and inspire people, to promote understanding, and to preserve the moments, ideas, and events that shape the world we share. This is our creative mission,” the company wrote. “We do not agree with recent efforts to boycott Israeli filmmakers. Silencing individual artists on the basis of nationality does not foster understanding or advance peace. The entertainment industry should be encouraging more dialogue and exchange, not less.”
Read more: Gaza aid flotilla carrying Greta Thunberg departs Tunisia
Addressing Paramount’s response, Bardem clarified: “Film Workers for Palestine do not target individuals because of who they are. The focus is on film companies and institutions complicit in whitewashing or justifying genocide and apartheid. We stand with those who support oppressed people.”
He added firmly: “I cannot work with anyone who justifies or supports genocide. That should be true not only in this industry, but in any industry.”
Bardem signed the pledge alongside fellow Hollywood figures including Yorgos Lanthimos, Ava DuVernay, Asif Kapadia, Emma Seligman, Boots Riley, Adam McKay, Olivia Colman, Ayo Edebiri, Mark Ruffalo, Riz Ahmed, Tilda Swinton, Lily Gladstone, Hannah Einbinder, Gael García Bernal, Melissa Barrera, and Emma Stone.
The actor was at the Emmys as a nominee for his portrayal of José Menendez in Netflix’s Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, earning a nod for outstanding supporting actor in a limited or anthology series or movie.