Antonio Banderas says he wants to work more in his native Spain

Source:FoxNews Latino

Spanish actor Antonio Banderas said in an interview with EFE at the San Sebastian Film Festival that he enjoyed working in his native country, especially as a film producer.
Banderas attended the festival to promote "Automata," in which he plays a shaven-headed and sad Jacq Vaucan.

"I feel like working more in Spain," the actor said. "And I feel like it more as far as producing and directing are concerned, rather than acting, but I'm not going to close any doors. In any case, I'll probably live in the U.S. and have my hub here, but I'm going to maintain a more continuous line of work with my country."

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Antonio Banderas Shines In Cannes As Elite Mercenary In 'Expendables 3'

Antonio Banderas arrived in Hollywood 23 years ago and was told that he would only get "bad guy" roles in minor films, but on Sunday at Cannes he confirmed that being in "The Expendables 3" along with big names such as Sylvester Stallone and Harrison Ford "means a lot" for the Hispanic community.

Banderas, who plays a former Spanish armed forces member in the third film in the saga created by Stallone, was much more serious than his cast companions at the huge press conference where the film was presented at the Cannes Film Festival.

After joking that he hated his cast members – who also include Mel Gibson, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Stratham, Dolph Lundgren and Wesley Snipes – he made a statement about the Hispanic presence in Hollywood films.

"When I came to Los Angeles 23 years ago to do 'The Mambo Kings,' someone told me that if I wanted to continue there I was going to play all the movie bad guys" in less-than-stellar-quality films, Banderas said.

But now "things have changed" - the good guy can be Hispanic and the bad guy a blond with blue eyes. Movies have opened up other possibilities and that is good for Hispanic community, Banderas said.

"For a Spaniard like me to be part of this film means a lot for my community. I'm very, very happy to be part of this group of legends," the actor said.

The Malaga-born Banderas said that making the film has been an enjoyable and positive experience, but he acknowledged that he had not yet seen the final cut because up until he traveled to Cannes he had been finishing up the film "The 33" about 33 miners who survived for 70 days buried some 2,300 feet below ground in a partially-collapsed Chilean mine in 2010.

Antonio Banderas Proud Of Hispanics' Triumph In Hollywood

Published by FOX NEWS LATINO

Spanish actor Antonio Banderas said here that he is proud to be a part of the generation of Hispanic artists who managed to open the doors of Hollywood and consolidate themselves in the movie mecca. 

Banderas, who was in Bogota to present his new ladies' fragrance, "Her Golden Secret," recalled at a press conference his early years in movies and gave details about his most recent film project," The 33," about the Chilean miners who were trapped in a collapsed mine for 70 days in 2010.

The 53-year-old actor said that one of the first things he was told when he arrived in the United States was that if he stayed in Hollywood "I was going to be a villain all my life" in terms of the roles that came his way, since "blacks and Hispanics" are (or were) the bad guys in film.

The interesting thing, Banderas added, was that when he starred in the 1998 film "The Mask of Zorro," the bad guy was blond and "had blue eyes."

Hispanics who have made a career in movies or in any other professional sphere in the United States "have struggled a lot, have come from countries in conflict, where many difficulties have occurred" with the aim of having their children go to college, Banderas said.

The children of those pioneers "currently are in positions of power (and that) had to be reflected in Hollywood," he added.

LATINO MOVIE OF THE MONTH - FULL MOVIE 9/2013

This month's Latino movie is The Mambo Kings.

Cuban brothers arrive in America with a suitcase full of songs, hearts filled with passion and a desire to make it big in the promised land. One is a bit more passionate than the other, who likes the simple life a little more and continues to miss the girl who stayed back home, not realizing that his brother was forced to leave with him in order to save his life.

An utterly charming film. Highly recommended.  The ending was just a little off, but overall this movie was very entertaining.