Naturally, real-life couple Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem were immediately quizzed on how much their marriage spilled into Florian Zeller‘s Venice competition feature, Bunker, at the movie’s press conference on Tuesday afternoon.
Ahead of the movie’s red carpet premiere, Zeller, Bardem and Cruz were joined by co-stars Stephen Graham, Paul Dano and Patrick Schwarzenegger on the Lido to promote the film, following a renowned architect (Bardem) offered the chance to secretly design a survival bunker for a billionaire who is convinced that the end of the world is near. As he lets himself be seduced by this morally ambiguous project, his wife (Cruz) begins to question their marriage.
Zeller confessed he was inspired to write the screenplay after reading an article about Meta tech billionaire Mark Zuckerberg building an underground bunker in Hawaii. “It was a secret project, meaning that everyone involved in this project had to sign an NDA, to make sure no one would know,” said the French filmmaker. “For some reason, the information went public, and I thought it was a fascinating paradox because this man who made a fortune based on the idea of connecting people together [through Facebook and Instagram], was working on a plan B to isolate himself from the rest of the world.”
Questions around isolation, human connection and morality drive Bunker, as does an authentic wife-and-husband performance from the Spanish A-listers. Zeller said he coaxed the pair on board the project because he “adores” them, but also because he needed that legitimacy. “I think they are among the greatest actors working today, and so obviously it was an honor for me to work with them,” he continued. “But I have to say that from the very beginning, I was also interested into in having them together on screen, because I thought it would be a unique way to capture something special as a real couple — to give layers to all the scenes of this film, to blur the line, of course, between reality and fiction, but to try to approach something that I’m interested in, which is the burning authenticity of the truth.”
He added: “To 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.
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