It's been almost 10 years since Antonio Banderas stepped away from the glitz and glamor of Hollywood. The now 65-year-old former actor moved back to Malaga, Spain, in 2017. During a recent interview with The Times, Banderas explained how a near-fatal heart attack led to his decision to leave Hollywood in the rearview.
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"Mine was a really serious warning," he said. "It changed the way I look at life...Faced with death, it made me look back and realize that I am, in fact, a theatre actor."
And while you might expect Banderas to live in some mammoth mansion, the truth is that he's got a humble flat with his girlfriend, Nicole Kimpel. Banderas has swapped the movie studios for the life of a business owner, boasting multiple restaurants.
Yet, it's Banderas' not-for-profit Teatro del Soho that has him most excited.
"I have never been so happy," he told The Times.
It would appear that Banderas learned from his heart attack, and rather than taking it as a warning about lifestyle, he took it as a warning to life his life the way he wanted, and in a way he would enjoy.
"I realized that it probably was one of the best things that ever happened in my life because the things that were not important and I was worried every day about them, meaningless," he told Page Six in 2022. "...I was like, why am I worried about that if I'm going to die? "And, I knew always [that I was going to die], but now I know. I've seen it right here."
Antonio Banderas Has 130 Acting Credits to His Name
Banderas is still acting. He's just not living the life of a Hollywood A-Lister. After all, when your career spans 130 acting credits, you can make your own set of rules. The last movie Banderas was a part of came out in 2024, when he played the role of Hunter Cabot in Paddington in Peru.
Some of his bigger roles came during the late 90s and early 2000s. His role as Alejandro Murrieta in The Mask of Zorro certainly put him on the map. However, roles in Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!, and The 13th Warrior were also huge successes.
Banderas is living a life that makes him happy and fulfilled. If that means it's more humble than those in Hollywood, so be it. After all, a near-fatal health issue will usually help put things into perspective.
