Javier Bardem says he was relieved that he didn't have to be shirtless while playing King Triton in 'The Little Mermaid': 'I'm not Dwayne Johnson. I'm not Brad Pitt.'

• Javier Bardem spoke to Entertainment Weekly about playing King Triton in "The Little Mermaid."
• Bardem was happy he didn't have to go shirtless like his counterpart from the 1989 animated film.

"The Little Mermaid" star Javier Bardem said that he was glad that he didn't have to be shirtless for his role as King Triton in the upcoming live-action Disney movie.

"I'm not Dwayne Johnson. I'm not Brad Pitt," Bardem said in a "Little Mermaid" cover story for Entertainment Weekly, referring to the two actors who have had their fair of shirtless scenes in their careers.

Rob Marshall's live-action reimagining stars actor and musician Halle Bailey as Ariel, Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, and Melisssa McCarthy as Ursula.

Rather than go shirtless like his counterpart from the 1989 animated "Little Mermaid," Bardem's version of King Triton wears armor.

In the EW cover story, Bardem and Bailey both recalled the experience of being locked into a harness and rotated to imitate the motion of swimming under the sea.

Bailey said that she endured an "intense routine" of waking up early to go to the gym, followed by her core, legs, and arms feeling the burn from hours of being on a harness filming.

"It was like [being] at Disney Parks in the rides," Bardem said. "You have to be in shape because those arms have to be there. And most importantly, you have to have a strong core. You really have to do some gymnastics."

"The Little Mermaid" is set for release in theaters on Friday, May 26.