Depending on your age and taste in movies, Antonio Banderas might represent any number of characters to you — the voice behind a beloved children’s character, a suave swordsman or even the well-meaning but clueless husband in Babygirl.
On Feb. 9, he’ll be a tuxedo-clad Super Bowl ad star for Bosch, a German appliance company. A sneak preview of the ad shows him easily opening a pickle jar for an actor dressed as wrestling legend “Macho Man” Randy Savage.
Yahoo Entertainment spoke with Banderas before the ad’s premiere about his latest projects, his passion for appealing to different generations and his appreciation of David Lynch.
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This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Babygirl is now available on video on demand. When the movie first came out in theaters, a lot of people online said they couldn’t believe that someone cheated on your character. They didn’t think that was realistic! Did you see that reaction?
No, actually. I’m in Spain now, and the movie just opened. There were good reviews — they raved about how courageous it was, and how special. It doesn’t seem to belong to any kind of movement — it belongs to the mind of a woman that feels absolutely free when she’s expressing herself. I’m very happy that I was there. And of course, I’m now 64 years old. I’m not the young guy that I used to be, which is great. I am very comfortable with growing up and getting older and not being the guy who needs to conquer everybody. But there is something to learn at the end, even for my character. By the end of the movie, the things he does — it’s so excellent.
On the complete opposite note, you’ve been in a lot of movies that mean a lot to kids. You’re in Paddington in Peru, which comes out on Feb. 14, but you’ve also been in Spy Kids and Puss in Boots. Why do those roles keep you coming back?
I just love it. When I was nominated for an Academy Award for Pain and Glory, which is a very tough and strong movie, I had Puss in Boots at the same time. I love that kind of dichotomy about my persona. Because I’m an actor, that’s what I love to do — different characters directly to completely different audiences. It happened again with Babygirl and Paddington in Peru. On top of that, I have a commercial that’s a comedy with Bosch. Those three things are happening at the same time!
Tell me about the commercial!
I received a proposal from the company. The first person that said to me, “You should do it!” was my girlfriend because she’s German. She said, “This is a great German company, you should do it.” Then I read it and thought, “Oh my god, I could do a lot of comedy with this.” So I was right!
The product is so pleasant, you just may need to get into many strange positions for the product to shine. There’s a wink of an eye behind the commercial. It’s going to [air during] the Super Bowl, which Steven Spielberg said to me once is “the Oscars of commercials.” Some of them are spectacular. They’re like little movies.
Speaking of cinematic legends, I saw you posted a tribute to David Lynch online after his death. Did you have a favorite project of his that you would recommend to people?
Blue Velvet is one of my favorite movies of all time. Also, Twin Peaks! When I got to America, right around that time [was] when Twin Peaks came out on television. I think it completely changed the perception that actors have of television. I’m sorry to say it, but it’s true! Actors would see movies as more prestigious to be in, but that changed completely after Twin Peaks. Big actors and directors started moving toward a new way to understand TV. The technology was getting better too, so you could be at home with a screen that is big with a sound that was phenomenal and enjoy TV as a new experience.
I never worked with David, but I got to meet him, I remember, at a ceremony that’s like the European Oscars in Berlin many years ago. I got to talk to him about Pedro Almodóvar, a director he also loved. I worked with Pedro many times. We had a beautiful conversation about the limits of movies and the boundaries of creativity. I admired him enormously.
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