Actors Javier Bardem and Nicole Kidman were honored with the Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s Maltin Modern Master Award Thursday night — the last celebrity tribute of this year’s film festival — with Bardem appearing in-person at the downtown Arlington Theatre and Kidman joining via Zoom.
Kidman was originally set to receive the award in-person, but due to an injury, she was unable to and appeared virtually.
“Both of them have carved really exceptional careers for themselves,” film critic Leonard Maltin said.
Maltin also led the two in a conversation about their careers leading up to “Being the Ricardos,” the film which earned them the accolade.
The highest honor presented by the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, the Maltin Modern Master Award, honors individuals who have “enriched our culture through accomplishments in the motion picture industry.”
Past recipients include Bill Murray, Brad Pitt, Glenn Close, Gary Oldman, Denzel Washington, Johnny Depp, Michael Keaton, Bruce Dern, Ben Affleck, Christopher Plummer, Christopher Nolan, James Cameron, Clint Eastwood, Cate Blanchett, Will Smith, George Clooney, and Peter Jackson.
Kidman and Bardem talked about their journeys becoming actors. Kidman came to the United States from Australia to pursue acting and Bardem resisting acting, with most of his family involved in filmmaking, until he finally tried it.
“I have something inside of me that needed to be expressed,” Bardem said about acting. “I guess it was the DNA and then sooner or later, it would show up and it showed up.”
The two actors received the award for their performances in director and writer Aaron Sorkin’s “Being the Ricardos,” in which Bardem and Kidman play Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball, respectively. The film follows Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz through one week in their lives in 1952, during the production of “I Love Lucy” and when Lucille is accused of being a Communist.
“We were lucky to really play both (roles in “Being the Ricardos”) together,” Bardem said about acting opposite Kidman. “She’s brave, I was scared to death, but I had to be brave, and we kind of knew that we were playing iconic people, but we didn’t want to even know about that. We just wanted to perform and follow the guidelines of the amazing script and the direction of Aaron Sorkin and thank God that the magic happened.”
“Being the Ricardos,” which is available to watch on Amazon Prime Video, earned both Bardem and Kidman nominations for the 94th Academy Awards, with Bardem nominated in the Best Actor category and Kidman in the Best Actress category.
“I naturally had some skepticism that anybody could be or play Lucille Ball,” Maltin said to Kidman. “But you did it. You persuaded me.”
With nearly 40 years as an actress, Kidman has appeared in films such as “Practical Magic,” “Moulin Rouge!,” “Bombshell,” and “The Hours,” among several others.
“I hope at some point I get to play the extraordinary women or simple women in complicated situations,” Kidman said about what she thought when she started her acting career. “I hope I get to show all of the complexities. I hope I don’t just get cast as the girlfriend or wife and don’t get the chance to really explore female characters, in general, and I did get the chance. It took a while, but I got the chance and am continuing to get the chance.”
Meanwhile, in Bardem’s over-30-year career, he’s been in movies such as “Skyfall,” “Mother!,” “The Sea Inside,” “No Country for Old Men,” and more.
“Being the Ricardos” producer Todd Black presented the awards for both Kidman and Bardem.
“This award, the Maltin Modern Master Award, for you Nicole, kind of signifies what you went through,” Black said while presenting Kidman’s award. “From your wonderful agent Chris Andrews telling me and Aaron Sorkin that you were born to play this role … to being probably one of the most humble people I’ve met in my career, and kind and specific with everything you wanted to do with that role.”
When presenting Bardem’s award, Black talked about how Bardem persistently worked to get the role of Desi Arnaz from the very beginning, before “Being the Ricardos” even had a director.
“(Bardem) is as humble, and sweet, and gracious, and funny, and professional of a person that I’ve ever met in my career,” Black said.
The Santa Barbara International Film Festival continues through Saturday, with film screenings and industry panels scheduled for the remaining days. More information on the festival and its full lineup can be found here and in its digital program guide.
— Noozhawk staff writer Serena Guentz can be reached at sguentz@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.