Antonio Banderas reveals the surprising connection he has to Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
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After voicing Puss in Boots for almost 20 years, Antonio Banderas thought he knew everything about the adorable, fearless tabby cat.
But when he learned the particular story his upcoming sequel Puss in Boots: The Last Wish would be telling, the actor was shocked to discover a deeper personal connection to Puss' journey. "This movie really took me by surprise," Banderas admits to EW.
The second standalone Puss in Boots film spun off from the Shrek franchise begins with the frisky outlaw hero learning that, without realizing it, he's burned through eight of his nine lives. Suddenly staring death in the face, Puss goes through an existential crisis in which he must contend with his own mortality for the first time.
Banderas knows this is something everyone can relate to after the last few years. "Something that is the key to understanding this movie is to value life more than anything else," he says. "And especially after the couple of years that we lived in confinement and suffering, there are wars in the world and a lot of confusion and fake news and the pandemic, we had sensitivity in the studio and everybody who was part of this movie in order to explore that in the language of an animated movie, and the language of Puss in Boots. I think it's done elegantly and, at the same time, sends a beautiful message about the importance of valuing life and our time in this world."
DreamWorks Animation
He was "pleasantly surprised" to see how deep the story goes in portraying that message, knowing that families and people of all ages will see this movie together over the holidays.
But it's even more emotionally resonant to him after the actor was forced to face his own mortality recently.
"I really am feeling, in a very personal way, connected to this movie, if I have to tell you the truth," Banderas says. "I suffered a heart attack on the 25th of January, 2017, which I am totally recovered from now. I do exercises, I run, but I used to smoke, which is probably the most stupid thing that I have ever done in my life. I stopped smoking after the heart attack, and I feel great now. But I had the opportunity to see death was right in front of my very eyes. And it was very scary."
Just like Puss, Banderas was able to learn from that near-death experience. "In a way, it's one of the best things that ever happened in my life, because it made me reorder my life and made me value things, people who I was in relationships with, my profession, my family, my friends, and I am very thankful that I had that opportunity," he says. "Not many people can say that, and be content to say that. And not every person lives through something like that to tell the story, but I did. And so when I saw the script of the movie for the first time, I thought, 'Ooh, I understand the path that the cat is taking here.' In a strange way I related to my character in this particular movie."
DreamWorks Animation
Banderas doesn't know if the film's writers intentionally mirrored Puss' story in this film to his own recent life experience, but he's grateful that his onscreen alter ego goes through such a powerful change. "Puss has always seen himself as bigger than he is, but in this movie, we see him very vulnerable," he adds. "It tells the message that we have permission to actually be afraid and just to feel, and sometimes we don't all the power that we thought that we had, and that is okay. Puss is for all ages and I'm excited for kids to see that heroes can also be in trouble and need help."
And he also loves how he's now feeling closer than ever to the character he's played longer than any other part in his career. "I've established a relationship with this character, giving my voice to him for almost 20 years," Banderas says. "I'm 62 now, so for one-third of my life he's been with me, and I feel very close to him. Almost like an alter ego. So to now establish a different kind of relationship to the character, one that's more sincere, has been fabulous."
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish hits theaters Dec. 21.
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