Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith parted ways in 2015 but he is still close to his former family.
Editor's note: This article was originally published on December 31, 2020. It has since been updated.
Who doesn't love Spain-born actor Antonio Banderas? He has warmed our hearts with his portrayal of Zorro and his talent has taken him far. In 2020, he won his first Oscar nomination for Pain & Glory, but he is not a newbie to the Oscars. He was married to Melanie Griffith for many years and often had her as a date when they walked the red carpet. As Griffith's husband, he also became the stepdad to Dakota Johnson and Alexander Bauer. He had a loving relationship with his stepkids and it still continues, even though his marriage with the Working Girl star ended. Griffith and the Mask of Zorro actor were married from 1996 to 2015. During that phase, he would have had numerous memories with his stepchildren. One of them dates back to 2000 when he brought Johnson as his date to the Oscars, according to In Style.
The 10-year-old and her mom accompanied the Desperado actor to the red carpet. After all these years, a grown-up Johnson still sees him as a father figure, which is only natural as he was there for most of her teenage and more. He also had a hand in shaping her career. "She’s my daughter, I love her. I’ve been with her on my shoulders, traveling all around the world," he told Us Weekly.
She presented the 60-year-old with the Hollywood Actor Award for his performance in Pain and Glory at the Hollywood Film Awards on November 3, 2019, and brought him to tears with her speech. "He loved my mother, and my siblings and I so big, and so fiercely and so loud, that it would change all of our lives together," she shared, as per E! News. She called him a "bonus dad" and a "bright light."
Her first movie role was a small part of his directorial debut. She appeared in a small role as did his daughter, Stella, while Griffith starred as the lead of Crazy in Alabama. Despite encouraging her talent, like any other dad he wanted her to finish school before embarking on her acting career. He also respects her professional choices but he's a father after all and refused to watch Fifty Shades Of Grey. However, he made sure that she was with him when he got his Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The Genius actor said that he had no idea she was going to say such loving words at the Hollywood Film Awards event. "It was all a surprise," he told E! News. "Totally. I mean, I knew that she was going to give the speech, but I had no idea whatsoever how she was going to just do her speech, she didn't tell me anything."
For him, the Fifty Shades of Grey actress' words proved that she valued him as much as he loves her. "I thought and felt that all of those years," Banderas admitted. "But I knew that it was a confirmation that all of those years that Melanie and I spent together, they were years that was not only just about Melanie and me, but they were also about the family. They were worth it all," he said.
He further added that he will always consider his stepdaughter as his family. "And she put that on value that night and it was very emotional for me because that's life," he said. "And that's one of the reasons actually why Melanie, we can look at each other‘s faces today."
Speaking at the 31st Palm Springs International Film Festival, he said that he had plans to see her again. "We will go for dinner. I'm going to see probably her tomorrow in Los Angeles, and we are pretty good friends," Banderas continued. "And it's because of the way we understood our relationship and the relationship that we have with the people that love us and that were surrounding us, especially our kids. And I think Dakota took that expressing in a very beautiful way because she was, and she is and she will be very important to me."
References:
https://www.instyle.com/news/antonio-banderas-dakota-johnson-oscars-2000
Source: Getty Images | Photo by (L) Kevin Winter (R)Amy Sussman/
