The actor, 48, has made his mark playing villains in a string of movies including the villain in Bond movie Skyfall.
But he told GQ magazine that he shields his eyes from on-screen brutality because he was once involved in a fight in his youth.
The Oscar-winning star said: “From that moment on, I couldn’t stand violence.
“I still can’t even watch it. I can’t bear it.”
He said it was a struggle filming the acclaimed Coen brothers’ movie No Country For Old Men, known for its violent scenes.
He said: “So if I hate violence so much why did I do No Country For Old Men, right? I know, I know.
“But you should have seen me off camera, playing Anton on that movie… when the camera stopped rolling I would beg the Coen brothers ‘please take that gun out of my face guys, please…’.
“Man, they would be laughing their asses off. I love them, they’re geniuses. But it was tough. And I’ll never forgive them for that damn haircut.”
Bardem married fellow actress Cruz in 2010, two years after they filmed the Woody Allen romantic comedy-drama Vicky Cristina Barcelona.
Asked whether his wife is as fiery as she appeared in character in the film, Bardem replied: “Oh, boy. She has that feistiness.
“There are those scenes where we are arguing, she’s throwing plates and so on.
“I had to wonder, ‘Do I really want this?’ She has what I call the loving blood. Passion for everything.”
But he added: “That’s what I find attractive. There is beauty and there is being sexy. Penelope has both.”
• Read the full interview in the June issue of GQ, on sale from Thursday
Daily Express :: Entertainment Feed
