Antonio Banderas is happy to be back in Spain. The actor spent a large part of his life in Los Angeles, where he built a career in Hollywood and raised his kids with his ex-wife Melanie Griffith. Years ago, he had a health scare that reshuffled his priorities, encouraging him to return home to Malaga.
© Getty ImagesIn an interview with PEOPLE, Banderas shared that the heart attack in 2017 that served as an "unbelievably clear reminder" of the importance of his going back to his roots.
“Those were beautiful, exciting years. But I always had this sense of provisionality that it was not going to last my whole life,” said Banderas of the time he spent in Los Angeles. “I knew that Málaga was there, my hometown. I was not supposed to be in Malibu, but in Málaga.”
He called his heart attack, “the best thing that ever happened in my life."
© Vinnie Zuffante“It was like somebody put glasses on me so I could see the reality that I didn’t see before. I was just too worried about stupid things. We sometimes forget that we are going to die… The only thing that I am interested in now is in the experience of living.”
Banderas and Griffith married in 1996, when they welcomed their first and only daughter together, Stella. This led to the years when the two were based in Los Angeles, living alongside her kids from previous relationships, Alexander Bauer and Dakota Johnson.
The time coincided with Banderas' rising Hollywood career, starring in films like "Philadelphia," "Desperado," "Interview with the Vampire," and later on, "The Mask of Zorro."
Banderas' long-lasting friendship with Griffith
© Europa Press NewsBanderas and Griffith divorced after almost 20 years together in 2015. Despite the end of their relationship, the pair remain a part of each other's lives. In that same interview with PEOPLE, Banderas called her “if not my best friend, one of my best friends.”
“We came out of our relationship in a nice way that was very important for [the kids] and for us," he said.
He ultimately described Griffith as "an unbelievable mother," and sees their children together "blossoming and becoming good people."
© Getty Images
