Javier Bardem has cited songs by Linkin Park, Slipknot, Bad Omens, and Falling in Reverse as inspirational to his performance as Max Cady in Cape Fear, the new Apple TV adaptation of the film of the same name.
The actor specifically cited “Given Up” and “Up from the Bottom” by Linkin Park as especially important to his performance.
Javier Bardem told Kerrang, “I listened to five songs especially. Two from Linkin Park: ‘Given Up,‘ with the great [late] Chester [Bennington], and ‘Up From the Bottom‘ from the last album, From Zero. I think [Emily Armstrong] is an amazing singer. She really brought it back. Those two songs really express frustration and the fight for raising up from [one’s] own ashes that [resonates] with Max. And songs by Slipknot, Falling In Reverse and Bad Omens. I’m so bad with the names of songs, but they were in my head all day long before doing anything and helped put me in the mood.”
Bardem, a lifelong metal and hard rock fan, has long been vocal about his love for heavy music, even citing AC/DC as foundational to his learning English.
The actor noted, “It’s not that I use the music, it’s that I can’t live without it. It’s what I listen to: when I drive, when I’m being driven, before I go to sleep… Yeah, I listen to Slipknot to go to sleep. For me, metal is… a way of living.”
He added, “It’s a way of feeling. It’s a way of belonging to a community of people. It’s what I like. And the older I get, the more I like it, and the less I like the other options. I think I can listen to anything, because I really respect music and musicians. But the thing that makes my heart beat is metal.”
Cape Fear debuted on Apple TV on June 5th based on the 1957 novel The Executioners as well as its two film adaptations, both titled Cape Fear, from 1962 and 1991. It is currently on its fifth episode of 10, with the series finale scheduled for July 31st.
