Bardem’s comments make him the “big villain,” says PP spokesman

The conservative Popular Party (PP) did not take long to respond to statements by actor Javier Bardem suggesting that “so much unemployment suits the government.”

“You need to be a big villain, and I don’t mean a motion picture villain, to claim that so much unemployment suits the government. No doubt these are the frivolities of a millionaire who lives in Miami,” countered Rafael Hernando, deputy spokesman for the Popular Group in Congress, on Twitter.

Bardem issued his controversial opinion in an interview with EL PAÍS during the promotional tour for Skyfall, the latest film in the James Bond saga.

One of Spain’s most internationally renowned actors, the No Country for Old Men star also criticized what he sees as the government’s complete lack of commitment to the public and social system.

“What we’re experiencing is a humanitarian drama, with over 25 percent unemployment,” he said. “And so much unemployment suits the government, so it can worsen labor conditions. This government wants to bring down the debt of this country at the cost of school pencils and exercise books.”

For the record, the actor lives in a residential area outside Madrid and insisted he does not reside in the United States.