Antonio Banderas Was Told Early in His Career That He Could Only Play "Bad Guys" Because of His Ethnicity
Oscar, Emmy, and Golden Globe nominee Antonio Banderas has made a career out of playing diverse characters in films and series like Philadelphia, Interview With the Vampire, Desperado, Evita, The Mask of Zorro, The 13th Warrior, Spy Kids, Frida, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Puss in Boots, Ruby Sparks, Machete Kills, Genius, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Babygirl, Paddington in Peru, and more.
He has voiced cartoon characters, played the lead in dramas, comedies, action films, adventure movies, romances, and everything in between, but when his career began, he was told he would only be able to play a villain.
In an interview with The Times, Banderas recalled being told he could only play “bad guys” due to his Hispanic ethnicity, which is why he’s proud of breaking out of that box with his roles in the Zorro and Shrek franchises.
“They said, you are here, like the blacks and the Hispanics, to play the bad guys. The problem was a few years later I had a mask, hat, sword and cape and the bad guy was Captain Love, who was blond and had blue eyes. Even more important is Puss in Boots, because it’s for young kids. They see a cat that has a Spanish, even an Andalusian accent and he’s a good guy.”
After Banderas originated the voice role of the swashbuckling feline in Shrek 2 (2004), also appearing in Shrek the Third (2007) and Shrek Forever After (2010), as well as his own spin-offs Puss in Boots (2011) and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022), he said last year that he had not yet been invited back for Shrek 5, premiering June 30, 2027.
As always, representation matters, and it’s cool that Banderas was able to break the mold the industry was trying to put him in.
via: Deadline