Javier Bardem has described auditioning for a stage production of A Streetcar Named Desire as the worst audition of his career, despite being offered the role. He said he lacked confidence that, at 23, he could handle the character or live up to Marlon Brando’s celebrated performance in the 1951 film, and ultimately declined the job.

Bardem said he both needed the work and recognised that the part could have been an important theatrical breakthrough, but felt he was “going against” the audition throughout. He considers Brando’s performance in Elia Kazan’s film a landmark in acting, praising its unpredictability and intensity, which added to the pressure he felt.