Fifteen years ago today, the movie that catapulted Javier Bardem to the next level of stardom hit theaters. No Country For Old Men would win him an Oscar for best supporting actor, on its way to winning the big one, Best Picture.

Bardem says the film's success caught him by surprise, telling tells ABC Audio, "As many of the things that happen in our lives that change our lives, I didn't see that coming."

"I thought it was like a very weird experiment that [Joel and Ethan Coen brothers] were going to do, which I adore and I love," he adds. "And I mean, I worship their movies. But I thought, well, I don't think nobody's going to watch this because who's going to care about me with this haircut, and this air gun, cattle gun, walking around killing people?"

Bardem goes on to say the film "opened my work to the world in a way."

No Country for Old Men -- which also starred Tommy Lee Jones, Woody Harrelson, Kelly Macdonald and Josh Brolin -- was a hit with critics and moviegoers alike, grossing $171 million worldwide.

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