Javier Bardem says Dame Judi Dench has forgiven him for killing off her James Bond character.

The 52-year-old star played villain Raoul Silva in the 2012 Bond film 'Skyfall' and was responsible for the death of Judi's M – an event he felt a terrible sense of guilt about.

Speaking to the Daily Mail newspaper's Baz Bamigboye column, Javier said: "With Judi, I felt so bad that if I saw her on set, I couldn't look into her eyes. She's a legend – in the whole world! And in the UK, she's an iconic national symbol."

Quizzed on whether the legendary actress forgave him, Javier replied: "She did, eventually."

The 'No Country for Old Men' star also joked that he was worried about being banned in the UK for killing off a national treasure.

Javier explained: "For a long time, when I was landing at Heathrow, people on the immigration desk were very unhappy that I killed M. They would tell me: 'Oh, man, I don't know if I can forgive you for that!'"

Javier plays Desi Arnaz in the new film 'Being the Ricardos' and explained how he and Nicole Kidman – who plays Desi's wife and 'I Love Lucy' co-star Lucille Ball – prepared for intimate scenes together.

He said: "We have a couple of love scenes. I guess when you're 20, it's fun to do, it's exciting, or whatever.

"Now, at the age of 52, it's kind of like you don't want anyone to feel uncomfortable."

Javier added: "We faced each other as Lucy and Desi – all the hair and make-up – and we jumped in and created a chemistry together. We were able to get into the scenes of touching, kissing and hugging and feel comfortable."