Javier Bardem, 55, shows off his shirtless physique in snaps taken by his wife Penelope Cruz as he reflects on rekindling their romance 17 YEARS after they first met

Javier Bardem showed off his impressive shirtless physique as he posed for a breathtaking shoot photographed by his wife Penelope Cruz.

The actor, 55, posed for the images The Men’s Magazineand in an accompanying interview, he reflected on how he and his wife first met, before beginning their romance when they were reunited 17 years later.

Javier and Penelope started dating after reconnecting on the set of Vicky Cristina Barcelona in 2008, and tied the knot two years later.

Of their first meeting, he said: “She was 17 and I was 22. It was her first film; one of my first films. A great movie.

‘We met during the wardrobe test, where we looked at each other, and I think something happened. Something that has no explanation whatsoever and goes beyond logic and reasoning.’

The actor, 55, posed for the images for The Gentleman’s Journal and reflected on how he and his wife first met in an accompanying interview

Javier and Penelope started dating after reconnecting on the set of Vicky Cristina Barcelona in 2008, and tied the knot two years later.

He detailed that although there was no romance at the time, they reconnected seventeen years later with Vicky Cristina Barcelona, ​​which won Penelope an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.

‘We realized that the feeling was still alive. Very alive. To our surprise!’ Javier added.

“But it happened that we were both single at the time, so of course what was supposed to happen happened: two people reconnected because they shared a lot of things, a lot more than they expected.

“But we also shared that we met and knew each other before all the noise, before the success and before anyone saw us with different eyes because of who we were now, what we had become.

‘And that is an important basis, to trust someone because you really know him or her, and he or she really knows you. You see me, I see you. That’s important.’

Javier and Penelope share two children, son Leo, 13, and daughter Luna, 11, and he also told the publication that he has learned to accept his “flaws” when it comes to fatherhood.

He said, ‘I am flawed. I have countless flaws and things that need to be fixed in terms of me as a human being. But being able to teach someone is the most important responsibility you will ever have.

‘You help guide someone, shape them, and how can you do that if you don’t educate yourself? If you don’t really evaluate who you are as a person? Who are you? And what have you achieved? What are our flaws? What are our virtues?

Of their first meeting, he said: “She was 17 and I was 22. It was her first film; one of my first films. A big movie

He explained that although there was no romance at the time, they reconnected 17 years later on Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

Javier and Penelope share two children, son Leo, 13, and daughter Luna, 11, and he also told the publication that he has learned to accept his “flaws” when it comes to fatherhood

Javier recently played the role of father Jose Menandez in the Netflix series Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story

Reflecting on the role, he said: ‘It’s a way for us to understand a little bit better why and where they come from’

Last month, Javier paid a sweet tribute to his wife Penelope as they attended the San Sebastián Film Festival

‘Because we all have to work on our virtues, pay attention to our virtues. But we really need to pay attention to our shortcomings.”

Javier recently played the role of father Jose Menandez in the Netflix series Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, which focuses on how sons Lyle and Erik murdered their parents.

Reflecting on the role, he said, “It’s a way for us to understand a little bit better why and where they come from.”

‘I think this is the only tool an artist has, which is to convey the experience, not the ideas, the reasoning or the theories.

Read Javier Bardem’s full interview on thegentlemansjournal.com

‘But the experience of being someone for the audience, to make them feel – for a moment – ​​that they are that person, so that their judgment opens up.’

Last month, Javier paid a sweet tribute to his wife Penelope as they attended the San Sebastián Film Festival.

During the Spanish gala, Bardem became visibly emotional as he praised his wife while receiving the Donostia Lifetime Achievement Award.

‘To a woman I love and with whom I have shared a life, I would like to express my deep gratitude for the human being you are and how you can be responsible for your life, the life of your children, the life of your family , your mother, your friends, the lives of others, the many people you do not know for whom you suffer and care for and undoubtedly the life of this gentleman who is here, who loves you and thanks you very much for it’, he shared.

Bardem quickly expressed his gratitude for their two children as Cruz beamed as he playfully blew kisses to her seat.

Read Javier Bardem’s full interview on thegentlemansjournal.com.