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Salma Hayek wishes ‘beautiful old man’ Javier Bardem a happy birthday

He is 55


Jovita Trujillo
Jovita Trujillo - Los Angeles
Senior WriterLos Angeles
MARCH 1, 2024 4:27 PM EST

Javier Bardem is officially 55 years old. The Pisces, born on March 1, is one of the biggest names in Hollywood with incredible films like “No Country for Old Men,” “Biutiful,” “Before Night Falls,” “Vicky Cristina Barcelona,” “Skyfall,” and more.

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To celebrate his special day, his good friend Salma Hayek shared an epic throwback with him and his wife, Penelope Cruz, with a sweet and hilarious caption. “Feliz Cumpleanos viejo hermoso,” she wrote in Spanish, which translates to “Feliz Cumpleanos beautiful old man.” “We adore you, Javier,” she continued.

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The photo is from 2005 when they were all in their thirties. Cruz and Hayek starred together in the 2006 movie Bandidas. The Western action-comedy film was directed by Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg.

In the film, Hayek and Cruz portray two very different women who team up to take down a ruthless bank magnate (Dwight Yoakam) who is stealing land from defenseless peasants so that he can build a railroad.

Salma Hayek, Javier Bardem   70th Berlinale International Film Festival© GettyImages

The three stars have not acted in a movie together, but Hayek worked with Bardem in the film, The Roads Not Taken. She later revealed that she was hesitant to take the role because of her friendship with them. “I always say, ‘If you want to spoil a friendship, you either borrow a friend’s money or play with him in a movie,” she said, per MSN.

Hayek agreed to portray Bardem’s wife, but it wasn’t easy. “It wasn’t easy because we had to yell and scream at each other. I remember the first time I came to the set,” she recalled. “Me and Javier went to have lunch and called Penelope [Cruz], laughing and making faces. She watched it and then said, ‘You won’t succeed, guys.’”

Thankfully, it all came together. “But the next day, we left our trailers, stepped in front of a camera, and Javier was Leo, and I was Dolores. We transformed into the actors who first met on this set, just two strangers doing our job,” the Frida star continued.

2005 Cannes Film Festival   "Broken Flowers" Premiere© GettyImages