Javier Bardem once worked as a stripper 'for a day'

Javier Bardem has opened up about his short-lived career as an exotic dancer.

During an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Wednesday, the Spanish actor recounted how he agreed to be a "stripper for a day" after his dance moves impressed the owner of a local disco when he was in his early 20s.

"The owner of the disco said, 'Will you do that every Friday?' And I said, 'Yeah, of course!' because I was drunk," he recalled. "Then they hired me, and I had to perform the next Friday."

Javier went on to describe how he became incredibly anxious in the lead up to the gig.

"I was so nervous, I called my mom and my sister to accompany me to my striptease number," the star continued. "There was nobody - I think there were, like, three people there? And it was very embarrassing, but I did it! I'm a performer, and I gave my word."

For his debut, Javier wore "a tuxedo that I would open" and danced to Joe Cocker's You Can Leave Your Hat On.

But despite his brief stint as a stripper, the 53-year-old insisted he didn't want a role in the upcoming third instalment of Channing Tatum's popular Magic Mike franchise.

"Yeah, they asked me to play the part where the old guy comes in and tries to do something and they're like, 'Stop it. ... No, no, no, no, not now!'" he laughed. "No, those guys know what they're doing."