Antonio Banderas has revealed his 2017 heart attack was one of the “best” things to happen to the Spanish actor.
His 2017 heart attack forced him to make some big but positive changes to his life. The actor, now 66, quit smoking and moved back to his hometown of Málaga in Spain.
The Spanish actor is best known for his roles in “Philadelphia,” “Mask of Zorro,” and for voicing Puss in Boots in the “Shrek” films.
How A Near-Death Experience Transformed Antonio Banderas’ Life For The Better
GettyWhen promoting his new movie “Tony” about the late Anthony Bourdain, he opened up to PEOPLE about the near-death accident and how it transformed his life.
After experiencing chest pains at his home in Surrey, England in 2017, the “Desperado” actor underwent emergency surgery and had three stents put in his arteries.
“You always have in your mind that you’re going to die,” he told the outlet “But then when you have it so close, it’s an unbelievably clear reminder of how stupid you are losing time over things that don’t deserve to be in your life.”
But instead of feeling scared, the Oscar-nominated actor believes it was “the best thing that ever happened in my life.” He added, “It was like somebody put glasses on me so I could see the reality that I didn’t see before.”
Banderas has previously reflected on how his health problems have reshaped his entire outlook on life. He told USA TODAY in 2019 that his heart attack helped him connect on a deeper level with the vulnerable characters he played.
“Things you might’ve thought were important before vanish, and you realize the only thing that is really, really [definite] is death – everything else is relative,” he explained.
Banderas also said going through the heart attack and surgery made him less fearful going forward. “You lose the fear to just express yourself in a different way,” he added.
Antonio Banderas Reflects On His Personal Life
GettyIn the interview with PEOPLE, Banderas praised his ex-wife Melanie Griffith for being an “unbelievable mother.”
He also said he is proud of daughter Stella, as well as Dakota Johnson and Alexander Bauer, who he helped raise during his marriage to Griffith.
“I see them blossoming and becoming good people, and I’m so proud of them. The three of them—the one biological that is mine and the other two—they’re doing great,” he told the outlet.
Antonio now lives in Malaga with his girlfriend, Nicole Kimpel, and owns a theater, the Teatro del Soho CaixaBank. He has also invested in several dining spots around the town. “It’s true that food and gastronomy is a culture,” he told PEOPLE.
“Faced with death, it made me look back and realize that I am, in fact, a theater actor,” he said earlier this year to The Times.
