o do that for actors, you have to be very bold, you have to be very fearless and ambitious, and this is what they are, and that's why they are such great artists. 

Bardem, who is particularly outspoken on a slew of political issues, including his support of Palestine, was asked during the presser about actors being told to  stay in your bunker, stay in your lane.  How important does he think it is to tell stories  outside of our own yard ?

The Oscar-winning actor responded:  Well, I think as an artist, you have a responsibility to make a story happen and to tell the story that the director, the author, wants. And then you, as an individual - it doesn't matter if you're an artist, an actor, a plumber, or a taxi driver - you have the right to expose your truth or what you think is important. 

He continued:  Obviously, I have more resources to do it than a taxi driver because I have this thing [gesturing to microphone] and I have you guys listening to me. So, the responsibility is a different one, and that's what I think is important: to have a responsibility toward the world that we live in, and I don't take it for granted.  He told the press conference that this movie speaks on those themes, especially  how much we are willing to see, feel, welcome [each] other  and  how much we are going to isolate ourselves and criminalize and dehumanize each other. 

Cruz and Bardem were both probed on starring in Oscar-worthy films this year, Bardem's The Beloved and Cruz's Olivia Wilde hit The Invite, and conceded they were proud to represent their country on an international scale.

But the Spanish actress also talked about being a woman in the industry and feeling pulled to intriguing female characters when reading a screenplay:  This woman says precisely the things that I usually think, and so I really wanted to be able to express these things and these feelings in public. This is why I wanted to be a part of this film,  she said.

Cruz added that sometimes women  are used as puppets, and this is very sad.  She told the room:  There are few women who take very important decisions in the world, and I think this is a very sad reality. We are sort of manipulated, and I have to say that I'm usually quite optimistic. [But] when it comes to the role of women in the world, I am slightly worried. However, I do think that younger generations are realizing our importance, and so they're starting to think this way, and they are opening their eyes. And maybe young people are more interested in politics now than they have ever been in the past. 

Graham, Dano and Schwarzenegger weighed in on being a part of Zeller's project, gushing over the filmmaker and his script.

But the married Spaniards were the heroes of the presser, and even joked about arguing over their work:  No, no, never!  replied Bardem, prompting laughs from the room. Cruz chimed in:  I've known you for more than 30 years… Imagine if we never argued! 

The 2026 Venice Film Festival runs through Sept. 12.