Antonio Banderas
Antonio Banderas
José Antonio Domínguez Bandera, known professionally as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish actor, director, and producer. He began his acting career with a series of films by director Pedro Almodóvar and then appeared in high-profile Hollywood movies, especially in the 1990s, including Assassins, Evita, Interview with the Vampire, Philadelphia, Desperado, The Mask of Zorro and Spy Kids. Banderas also portrayed the voice of "Puss in Boots" in the Shrek sequels and Puss in Boots as well as the bee in...
NationalitySpanish
ProfessionMovie Actor
Date of Birth10 August 1960
CityMalaga, Spain
CountrySpain
There is something about his persona that I love - his mystery. He doesn't really like to talk about his personal life. I thought that was an interesting concept, and so we put that into the movie.
But at the same time he's more elegant, ... You've got a sly thing going with him that I like. He's imperfect, a little bit clumsy, and jealous and drunk. All of that humanizes the character and makes him very approachable. Everybody in the audience can recognize a little bit of themselves in him; and then everybody roots for you to be the guy he's supposed to be. That's the part of the movie I enjoy the most, all the comedy.
It was a satisfaction for my own community and to represent a character that says a lot about our community.
I pretend to dance. I'm not a dancer. That all Spaniards dance naturally is something of a myth especially where I'm concerned.
I don't think I'm a dancer. I'm just an actor who tries to make people believe that I do the activity.
We were very keen on not showing any blood in the movie or showing Zorro stabbing anybody -- which happens in the first one. This time, Steven and Martin Campbell and everybody around the movie were very careful with that type of thing.
This may sound a little harsh, but I don't care about my career. Really, I don't like actors who are always planning what they're going to do next or always worrying about doing something that will go against the image they've created. To me, that's almost like an attack of narcissism.
The man who doesn't want anything is invincible.
Picasso is a character that has pursued me for a long time and I always rejected. He deserves a lot of respect because I am from Malaga, and I was born four blocks from where he was born.
I used to be scared of women. When I was very young they terrified me, but discovering the female universe was incredible and still is to this day, as you never stop learning about them.
There are some movies that I would like to forget, for the rest of my life - really! But even those movies that I'd like to forget teach me things.
I'm still a promising actor. It's better to be climbing even if you have a lot of falls than to be descending. Maybe that's kept me young. I haven't gotten to any peak yet.
The only time you actually are a spectator of your own work is the day you read the script.
Melanie is more of a disciplinarian with the little girl than me, probably because it's my first baby. She gets everything easy from Papa. I am more weak. She takes advantage of me.