Bardem talks down credentials as baddest Bond villain

The Spanish actor plays Silva in the upcoming instalment of the popular 007 spy franchise, Skyfall, which also sees Daniel Craig reprising his role as the legendary agent.

Bardem, 43, told MTV News on the set of Skyfall how he thinks he measures up against the other villainous Bond characters before him.

"I never pretend to be the best Bond villain ever, that would be too much to think of yourself," he said. "I think the character - it's complex - he's not an easy guy. He's not only a villain, it's more than that, hopefully, that's what we tried to achieve.

"I'm saying this in the middle of shooting. Then the director and the editor have to make decisions and put the movie together, and then out of that is what the character will become."

Bardem, who won an Oscar for his performance as bad guy Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men, revealed how he manages to convincingly portray such characters.

"I see them more than villains, I see [them] like people with some circumstances behind them that make them act and react the way they do," he explained.

"It's not only a sign you have to put on a character like, 'This is a villain.' It's a man who has some trouble going on and he has to cope with it."