november-2011

The Cat’s Pyjamas
From Mexican freedom fighter to animated feline, sexy Spaniard
Antonio Banderas has clawed his way to the top of the
Hollywood tree. James Mottram meets the man from Málaga
The last time I met Antonio Banderas,
during the Berlin International Film
Festival in 2007, he was in a bind. About
to reprise the role of Puss in Boots, his
scene-stealing, swashbuckling feline from the Shrek
movies, he knew he had created a monster. “I hate
that cat!” he grumbles to me when we chat in a hotel
suite. “Ever since I did that cat, I disappear. It’s all
about the cat. Women just come up to me and go
[adopting a shrill female voice], ‘Oh, we love your
pussycat!’ Before they used to say, ‘We loved your
Zorro!’ Bloody cat! It stole everything from me.”
He’s joking, of course. The Spanish star has seen
his Hollywood stock rise immeasurably thanks to
the success of Puss in Boots, a character inspired by
his own portrayal of the eponymous swordsman in
The Mask Of Zorro. So it’s no surprise to discover
that Banderas’ furry alter ego has been promoted
from supporting player to starring role. Without
an ogre in sight, Puss In Boots tells the story of the
cat before he met Shrek, as he hunts down the
murderous Jack (Billy Bob Thornton) and Jill
(Amy Sedaris), and wrangles with a devious
Humpty Dumpty (Zach Galifianakis).
When we meet again, at the Cannes Film Festival
earlier this year, Banderas has just enjoyed a longawaited
reunion with Spain’s number-one director
Pedro Almodóvar for The Skin I Live In, in which he
plays a demented plastic surgeon. After such a serious
role, the Shrek spin-off was just what the doctor
ordered. “Making people happy, especially kids, is
very rewarding for an actor,” says Banderas. “I’ve
seen that for many years with Shrek. It’s good to
entertain people, and not have to always reflect
on the meaning of life.”
Wearing a white shirt and beige chinos, Banderas
may now be 51 but it’s not hard to see why his
dark-brown eyes still induce swoons wherever he
goes. There’s been no need for nips or tucks either
– “I wouldn’t have that,” he swears – he’s in great
NOVEMBER– DECEMBER
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