Antonio Banderas says the heart attack he suffered in 2017 became “the best thing that ever happened” to him because it forced him to reconsider how he wanted to live.
The medical emergency occurred at his home in Surrey, England. His longtime partner, Nicole Kimpel, gave him aspirin before paramedics arrived, and doctors later placed three stents in his arteries.
Banderas quit smoking, returned to his hometown of Málaga and shifted more of his attention toward theater, food, family and projects he finds personally meaningful.
Nearly a decade later, that new life helped draw him to Tony, an A24 film about the summer that introduced a young Anthony Bourdain to the chaotic world of professional kitchens.
The Heart Attack Made His Priorities Suddenly Clear
“You always have in your mind that you’re going to die,” Banderas told PEOPLE. “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.”
He has previously compared the experience to having someone place glasses over his eyes and bring the important parts of his life into focus. During a 2019 PBS interview, Banderas called the heart attack a blessing. Concerns that had once seemed important fell away, while the people and work he valued remained.
The change also influenced his performance in Pedro Almodóvar’s Pain and Glory. Banderas said the filmmaker noticed that he had become more emotionally sensitive following the heart attack and encouraged him not to hide it while playing an aging director confronting pain, regret and addiction.
He Quit Smoking and Returned to Málaga
Banderas gave up cigarettes and reconsidered the international lifestyle that had kept him moving between the United States, Britain and Spain. His years in Hollywood included roles in The Mambo Kings, Philadelphia, The Mask of Zorro and the Shrek franchise, but he said he never believed Malibu would remain his permanent home.
The heart attack pushed him back toward Málaga, where he was born and first dreamed of becoming an actor. He invested heavily in Teatro del Soho CaixaBank, the Málaga venue where he produces, directs and performs in plays, concerts and musicals.
Banderas has described the theater as a way to remain connected to his neighborhood, his artistic roots and local performers. He also expanded his involvement in the city’s restaurant scene. Banderas told PEOPLE that he has eight restaurants and views food and gastronomy as an essential part of Málaga’s culture.
‘Tony’ Connected His New Life With Anthony Bourdain’s Story
Banderas’ interest in restaurants and mentorship comes together in Tony, which follows a formative summer in Anthony Bourdain’s youth. Dominic Sessa plays the 19-year-old Bourdain as he travels to Provincetown, Massachusetts, and enters a professional restaurant kitchen for the first time. Banderas plays a demanding chef inspired by Ciro Cozzi, one of Bourdain’s early mentors.
Banderas never met Bourdain, but he followed his television work and believed programs such as No Reservations were ultimately about life rather than cooking. “My character, he was a good man,” Banderas told PEOPLE. “He was somebody who has something to say. And I have eight restaurants, so I am a little bit in that world, too. It’s almost impossible to say no to a project like this.”
Directed by Matt Johnson, Tony also stars Emilia Jones, Leo Woodall and Stavros Halkias. A24 scheduled the film for release on August 7th.
Banderas No Longer Wants to Spend His Life Collecting Things
Banderas said his reassessment extended beyond where he lived and the projects he accepted. He became less interested in accumulating possessions and more concerned with how he spent his time.
That includes his relationship with Kimpel and the three adult children he considers his own. Banderas shares daughter Stella with former wife Melanie Griffith and remains close to Griffith’s children, Dakota Johnson and Alexander Bauer.
“I see them blossoming and becoming good people, and I’m so proud of them,” he said, while praising Griffith as an “unbelievable mother.” Banderas still remembers his Hollywood years as exciting and important, but no longer treats them as the center of his life.
“People live like they are not going to die,” he told PEOPLE. “They collect things. I don’t want to collect anything. The only thing that I am interested in now is in the experience of living.”