By Bel Hernandez

This morning’s Oscar nomination for Javier Bardem for Best Actor for his role as Desi Arnaz makes it the fourth time he has been singled out for his work by the Academy of Motion Pictures members. In 2008 he took home the Best Supporting Oscar for his portrayal of the psychopathic assassin Anton Chigurh in the Coen Brothers’ No Country for Old Men.

This year he joins Denzel Washington, Will Smith, Benedict Cumberbatch and Andrew Garfield, all competing in the Best Supporting Actor category. 

The nomination comes for his portrayal of Desi Arnaz, the Cuban half of one of the most successful TV couples—and in real life—who starred and produced I Love Lucy for six seasons on CBS. It is the story of TV’s golden-age and best-loved couple, still to this date. 

“To embody Desi Arnaz’s spirit was a privilege and an honor and to be connected to his energy and legacy is something I will never forget,” said Bardem upon hearing of his nomination.  “Thank you to his family for trusting me with the responsibility of bringing this larger-than-life entertainer and entrepreneur to screen.”

This nomination comes on the heels of a very public discussion by some U.S. Latinos objecting to Bardem playing Arnaz because he is a European “White” and not a “person of color.” Bardem’s response to this was short and succinct. “I’m an actor, and that’s what I do for a living: try to be people that I’m not,” he said in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

Obviously, the nominating membership of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences who do the actual nominating focused on the execution of the role and not the controversy.

Bardem thanked Sorkin for the “beautiful” script and his direction. And of course, he took the opportunity to congratulate his wife Penelope Cruz for her nomination as Best Actress in Parallel Mothers.  Cruz previously won the Best Actress golden statue for her role in Vicky Cristina Barcelona and has two other Best Supporting Actress nominations, for Volver in 2006 and Nina in 2009. 

Bardem and Cruz join the list of six other married actor couples to be nominated for an Oscar in the same year, one other couple was Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.

The Oscars air live on Sunday, March 27 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on ABC.