Antonio Banderas and his summer of movies: a celebrity chef, a shark thriller and a drama
The Malaga-based Hollywood star turned 65 this year, but far from thinking about retiring, it coincided with the actor's busiest period of filming
This summer has been very busy for Antonio Banderas. Since the beginning of the season, the Malaga-born Hollywood star has been involved in three films: a biography about the chef and TV presenter Anthony Bourdain (Tony), a thriller about sharks (Above & Below) and a medical drama, Rose's Baby, which he is currently filming in London.
This latest production has united the 'Malagueño' with fellow Spaniard Úrsula Corberó, whose international career has taken off since her role as Tokio in La Casa de Papel, and with British actor Eva Birthistle (Solo un Beso and The Last Kingdom) in a personal project by actress and producer Trudie Styler (Maniac and The Next Three Days), who makes her directorial debut with this story about a divorced, mismatched couple and parents of a baby girl, who face the dilemma of putting aside their differences to have another child who could cure their firstborn's serious illness.
It is a drama with touches of comedy that mixes marital problems with the most intense and emotional struggle for health and life, with the cast completed by Nigerian actor Arinzé Kene (Lee Miller), Richard E. Grant (Gosford Park) and Oscar-winner Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland).
After a busy summer, Banderas already has his next project lined up which will bring him back to Malaga and his Teatro del Soho CaixaBank theatre with the musical Godspell which first appeared on the Malaga stage in 2022 under the direction of Emilio Aragón. After its tour around Spain, the production returns to where it started, but this time with the Malaga actor and director at the helm. The show will open on 30 October and will be on stage for ten weeks.
From the USA to the Canary Islands
Banderas' passion for musicals even led him to attend a few days ago the staging of Cabaret in London's West End. A getaway while filming Rose's Baby in the UK capital, which was his third destination of the summer after also visiting the USA and the Canary Islands.
The actor turned 65 this summer, but far from retiring, it has coincided with his busiest period of filming
In the biography about Anthony Bourdain, Banderas plays this chef who openly opposed Trump in his first term in office and who killed himself at the age of 61. Banderas said it was an "honour" to play the role, which he shares with actor Dominic Sessa ('Los que se Quedan'), who plays the chef in his younger years.
After this film, Banderas headed to the Canary Islands to swim among sharks in Above & Below, a thriller produced by Spanish director and producer Frank Ariza (V de Víctor and Con los Años que me Quedan).
In between so many changes of character and trips, Banderas also had time to visit Marbella at the end of July to have lunch with his friend Robert de Niro and he celebrated his 65th birthday in London while filming Rose's Baby. However, while many are thinking of retirement at that age, the Malaga actor and director shows no signs of slowing down and says his intentions for the future are: "Defying mathematics and the passage of time, I congratulate myself for staying young".
