Javier Bardem has once again reaffirmed his political stance at a public event by calling out Donald Trump for starting a war against Iran at the red carpet of the 2026 Oscars. The Hollywood veteran sported two lapel pins at the award ceremony, held at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles, in protest of US aggression in the Middle East, as well as the prolonged Palestinian conflict.
Javier Bardem talks about ‘Illegal war’ at Oscars
On March 15, the No Country for Old Men star graced the 98th Academy Awards red carpet while donning two politically-motivated pins and spoke against Donald Trump for his contribution to the ongoing fight against Iran.
Explaining the pin on his blazer, which read “No a la guerra,” or “no to war” in English, the 57-year-old Spanish actor told reporters from The Wrap, “It’s the same badge that I used in 2003 with the illegal war of Iraq. And here we are, 23 years after, again with another illegal war created by Trump and [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu, creating a lot of damage and a lot of innocents being killed and bombed.”
Bardem then talked about the second pin on his Oscars outfit, and revealed that it represented “the resistance of the Palestinian people with the Handala, which is a symbol of a 10-year-old boy who was drawn in 1969 by a Palestinian, saying that until he doesn’t go back to his homeland, he won’t grow. So he’s still 10 years old, waiting to come back to his land.”
Notably, the drawing featured on Javier Bardem’s blazer was conceptualized by cartoonist Naji al-Ali in 1969. It was in remembrance of the 1948 Palestine war, which displaced thousands of Palestinians from their homes and led to the creation of Israel (via Vanity Fair).
The Academy Award winner also expressed his political concerns at the event itself, exclaiming, “No to war, and free Palestine,” as he presented the International Feature Film award to Norwegian film Sentimental Value, alongside Priyanka Chopra.
