The marriage might be over, but life after it is good for Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith!
The Spanish actor and his ex-wife have seemingly maintained a very cordial relationship since they finalized their divorce in 2015, adding to the growing list of amicable separations in the very controversial industry.
Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith got married in May 1996 after they locked eyes for the first time at the Oscars in 1990. He has been married twice in his life, with just one biological child.
The filmmaker sat for an interview to spill a few tea about his friendship with Griffith over a decade after their marriage packed up. He expressed that the American actress is “if not my best friend, one of my best friends.”
The actor continued that they catch up on his trips to Los Angeles, where they have tons of fun alongside their kids, noting that it has been the force behind their healthy relationship. Banderas added that there is no secret recipe behind all the positivity in their interaction, only that they prioritized sincerity during and after their marriage.
Banderas emphasized that they both came out of the marriage in an amicable way that was necessary for the betterment of their children and family. The actor also told PEOPLE about his blended family, commending Griffith for her parenting skills, adding that he sees his kids having a bright future ahead of them.
Banderas and Griffith welcomed a daughter, Stella Banderas, during their marriage. Griffith is also mom to Alexander Bauer and Dakota Johnson, from previous relationships.
Inside The Emmy-Nominated Actor’s Love Life
Before his nearly two-decade-long marriage to Griffith, the actor and Ana Leza were first married between 1987 and 1996. The duo tied the knot in Madrid after dating for six months, and she played a pivotal role in his acting career by teaching him English.
He revealed that she partially became an English teacher in the early 1990s, and her skills helped him translate the script for “The Mambo Kings,” giving him enough confidence to secure the role. As shared by Hollywood Life, Leza had told Vanity Fair Spanish that she was equally glad to accompany him to the United States for the sake of his career.
While he did not share a child with Leza, he did help Griffith, his second wife, raise her first child, Dakota Johnson, and second, Alexander, whom she welcomed with Steven Bauer, her second husband. Banderas was Griffith’s longest union, and the actor recalled their relationship beginning with a love-at-first-sight situation.
He recalled seeing her on the red carpet at the 1990 Academy Awards, after which he asked about her from a colleague, and six years later, they sealed the deal. Despite their divorce, he described Griffith in a 2015 interview with Vulture as his family alongside her kids.
Antonio Banderas Discovered Bliss In His 2017 Health Scare
Banderas got into retrospection during his PEOPLE interview, addressing his heart attack in 2017 and finding the blessing in the experience. He described it as a reality check to finally see things he has been blind to while understanding that life is very fleeting.
He shared that he now lives with the consciousness that death is inevitable, so he does his best to make the most out of his time on earth. In his words:
“People live like they are not going to die. They collect things, and they collect. I don’t want to collect anything. I want to just experience.”
In his professional life, Banderas is currently starring alongside Dominic Sessa in “Tony,” which is a biopic about the late chef Anthony Bourdain. The movie, released on August 7, sees Banderas playing the role of a veteran chef and mentor who shapes Bourdain’s culinary identity.
As noted by The Blast, Banderas opened up about his heart attack at a film festival in Málaga in March 2017. Stating that he suffered the incident in January that year, Banderas considered himself lucky to be alive as he underwent an operation where they implanted three stents into his coronary arteries.
Aside from that, the Spanish actor also had an arrhythmia, a condition where the heart experiences an irregular beat, which also meant he had to go in for a thermoablation. As defined by Mayo Clinic, a heart arrhythmia happens when the electrical signals that tell the heart to beat do not work as they should.
This means that the heart may beat too fast or too slow, and the pattern of the heartbeat may also be inconsistent. Banderas continued that while he truly battled the attack, the media may have overblown his experience; however, it did happen due to him overworking himself for decades in the entertainment industry.
The attack did not cause any lasting damage, but it did cause the actor to move out of the United States, leave behind smoking, and dispose of his private jet.
Antonio Banderas Tipped Tom Holland To Fill His Spot As Zorro
In an interview with ComicBook in 2022, as shared by The Blast, Banderas disclosed that he would be happy to see a third Zorro movie if there is a new young face to carry on the legacy, as Anthony Hopkins did for him in “The Mask of Zorro” in 1998.
Banderas explained that he does not want to take over the mantle, but that he believed there is merit in presenting a new generation to the iconic character. The actor also gave his name for who he thinks will be the ideal replacement, and it was no other than the “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” star, Holland.
Banderas, who starred alongside Holland in “Uncharted,” praised the British actor’s charm, energy, and natural screen presence, saying those qualities would make him a strong choice to take over the role of the swashbuckling hero.
Banderas first brought Zorro to life in “The Mask of Zorro” before reprising the role in 2005’s “The Legend of Zorro.” There is no third movie being developed yet, but the actor revealed that he would be interested in being brought back if it would help launch the next installment of the franchise with a new lead.
There may be a lot to learn about Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith’s dynamics!
