Films: Banderas' cat gets the dream

THE World Cup's loss was Hollywood's gain when the 14-year-old Antonio Banderas, who had dreams of being an international footballer, broke his foot and was unable to play again.

Instead of strutting his stuff in La Liga, the Malaga native enrolled in drama school and eventually joined a theatre troupe that toured all over Spain. His hard work led to an invitation to star with the country's top actors in the National Theatre of Spain, which in turn brought him to the attention of maverick director Pedro Almodovar.

The Spanish auteur talked Banderas into starring in his next work, Labyrinth of Passion, and he went on to star in four more Almodovar flicks, most notably 1988's Woman on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown.

Three years later, he grew tired of the Spanish film scene and moved to the US to try and make his name in Hollywood.

With his Latin features and Casanova-like appeal, he was an instant hit, landing roles in films like Truth or Dare, where he played the object of Madonna's advances, and The Mambo Kings, for which he had to memorise his lines phonetically since his English was still ropey.

He went on to become one of Tinseltown's most bankable stars, starring in a string of blockbusters including The Mask of Zorro, Philadelphia, Evita, Interview with the Vampire, Spy Kids and Once Upon a Time in Mexico.

In May 1996, Banderas tied the knot with actress Melanie Griffith, with whom he has an 11-year-old daughter, Stella. A family man and private person, the Hollywood A-lister has retained a very down-to-earth attitude despite his huge success.

"I love what I do and that's why I do it. At the end of the day, you could be an enemy of your own success," he says.

Banderas' star took a nose-dive after a few box-office flops, but his career was revived when he voiced the deadly assassin, Puss-in-Boots, in the Shrek films – a role he reprises for his latest vehicle, Shrek Forever After.

"Because I had been playing characters that were, in some ways, bigger than life and heroic, putting it into a tiny body of a pussy cat was fun," he says.

In the fourth of the animated films, Shrek – voiced by Mike Myers – finds himself in an twisted alternate reality of Far Far Away after being duped into signing a magical pact with Rumpelstiltskin (Walt Dohrn).

With Shrek turned back into a scary ogre, Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) as a warrior and Donkey (Eddie Murphy) as a slave, where does that leave the swashbuckling Puss?

"This last one is very surprising because Puss is very fat," Banderas reveals, laughing. "He just let himself go badly, so he doesn't feel like hunting any more or killing others – he's just lazy, very lazy."

Banderas says that when the scriptwriters came up with this story of an alternative reality and the characters not really knowing each other, it was almost like starting afresh.

"I thought it was just a fantastic concept, and the re-imagination of Puss as this spoiled, pampered pet is inspired," he enthuses.

Shrek may be on his way out, with this latest instalment rumoured to be the last, but his much-loved Puss-in-Boots character will be back with his very own spin-off, which opens in cinemas next year.

"It is a slightly different style to Shrek," Banderas says. "It is like a spaghetti western. It is almost like a Quentin Tarantino movie. It's fun and kind of emotional. In the beginning you see Puss-in-Boots when he was a . . . I was going to say a kid, but he's not a kid, right? He's a kitty. So we see him in an orphanage and the events which make him Puss-in-Boots."

Before then, the Spaniard can be seen in the forthcoming You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger, which saw him working Woody Allen – a big hero of his. "It was great but weird at the same time," he says of teaming up with the legendary director.

"When I was 25, I worked in Madrid wearing a T-shirt printed with his face. So, being on the set and seeing the same guy on my T-shirt – he is literally the same guy because he wears the same glasses and the same hat – it was quite impressive."

Allen is known to be a tricky customer to work with, but Banderas didn't have any problems. "I loved working with him," he confirms. "Somebody said he was difficult but that wasn't the case. I talked to him a lot. All you have to do is just talk about jazz and he will go on and on.

Banderas, who turns 50 in August, has worked with some of the biggest names in Hollywood – including Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks, Anthony Hopkins, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie – but he still has an ambition he'd like to fulfil.

"I have admired many of my colleagues in the business but I would love to work with Robert De Niro," he beams. "He is one of my heroes, and I have yet to work with someone of that calibre. He was the one who inspired me through films like Raging Bull and Taxi Driver. When I started doing movies, I would say, 'I want to be like that guy, he is so convincing'. I thought he was so powerful and so special."

Women may disagree with the man once included in Empire's 100 Sexiest Stars in Film History, but Banderas doesn't consider himself a sex symbol.

"I don't believe it. Come on," he exclaims. "When you get to my age and look in the mirror, how can you think that?"

Shrek Forever After opens in cinemas next Friday

2010 EIFF PREVIEW: HEARTBREAKER

French star looks to Romain in limelight

Gary Flockhart

UBER-GLAMOROUS couple that they are, Romain Duris and Vanessa Paradis star in Heartbreaker (L'arnacoeur) – a stylish, playful romantic comedy that has its Gala UK premiere at Cineworld tonight as part of the Edinburgh International Film Festival.

It's the story of Alex Lippi (Duris), a handsome con man who specialises in breaking up romances. He is hired by Juliette's (Paradis) father to prevent her from marrying the wrong guy. Problem is, the conniving Alex has just a week to seduce Juliette, and she doesn't seem to be falling for his trusty tricks.

The movie, which is already a huge box-office hit in France, is widely tipped to be one of the feel-good films of the summer on this side of the Channel.

We know plenty about Paradis, who rose to fame at the age of 14 with the hit song Joe Le Taxi, before making a name for herself as an actress, becoming the face of Chanel's Coco fragrance and mothering Johnny Depp's children – but what about her co-star Duris?

The 36-year-old had to be persuaded to take his first screen test – now he is the hottest young actor in France.

He was first discovered by acclaimed independent director Cdric Klapisch, who cast the rookie actor in 2002's Pot Luck – a film about a group of students in Barcelona that was one of the most popular films that year in France.

At first, Duris had no desire to act. Hailing from a family of artists, he was studying art and playing drums in a rock band in his native Paris when he was spotted by Klapisch, who had great difficulty persuading him to take a screen test for the movie Le Peril jeune. "I thought it was for a television film and wasn't interested," he recalls. "My parents didn't have a TV at home and I don't have one now. I was lucky that the director was Cdric Klapisch. Working with him is when I discovered I adored acting."

Now dubbed French cinema's answer to Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal, Duris went on to international fame after starring in Jacques Audiard's The Beat That My Heart Skipped, a classy and gritty psychological drama set in the dark streets of Paris. This was the push his career needed after his pretty-boy looks had seen him spending most of his 20s playing angst-ridden adolescents, such as his roles in Pot Luck and its sequel, Russian Dolls.

"I play characters who ask themselves questions, are seeking something, are somehow unfinished, or immature," he says. "To me it's clear: I'm getting older and so are my roles."

His own biggest critic, despite the many plaudits that have come his way, the talented Frenchman is rarely satisfied with his work. "Maybe I take emotions too much to heart," he muses. "I'm never happy with what I do. When I watch myself on screen I say, 'It's horrible; there are a million ways of doing that scene and we've only tried five.' Doubt is there constantly – the main thing is not to let it eat you up."

Heartbreaker (L'arnacoeur), Cineworld, tonight, 8:35pm/tomorrow, 4:45pm, 8.50, 0131-623 8030

2010 EIFF PREVIEW: CLOSING NIGHT GALA – THIRD STAR

Jonathan Melville

IT MAY not have the same buzz as opening night film The Illusionist, but the choice of Third Star to close the 64th Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) could be an inspired one if the promised mix of a smart script and inspired performances materialises.

Benedict Cumberbatch stars as James, a young man who is slowly dying and who has decided to put his affairs in order. James decides that he should gather together his three best friends – Miles (JJ Field), Bill (Adam Robertson) and Davy (Tom Burke) – to take a trip to Barafundle Bay in Pembrokeshire.

Each character has their own unique traits: Miles is always a hit with the opposite sex, Bill is a more sensitive soul who, more self-conscious than the others, is not keen to commit himself to any one point of view, and Davy is more likely to tell the others off and protect James than join in with their jokes.

The film, which is receiving its world premiere at Cineworld tomorrow, follows the quartet as they slowly head towards Barafundle Bay, watching as they quarrel, overcome obstacles, remember the past and wonder exactly what the future holds for them.

According to the EIFF's artistic director Hannah McGill, Third Star is "amazing". The quality cast is a sign that director Hattie Dalton has done her best to do justice to screenwriter Vaughan Sivell's script. Cumberbatch, in particular, is on the rise, with his upcoming performance in Sherlock, the reimagining of Sherlock Holmes for BBC One, a TV highlight of the coming months.

Focusing on both the big things in life – relationships, careers, family and money – and the smaller things, Third Star should appeal to males and females alike. Whether it proves to be uplifting or overly dark for the EIFF's final film remains to be seen, but it should be an fascinating journey finding out on the night.

Closing Night Gala: Third Star, Cineworld, tomorrow, 9:30pm, 15, 0131-623 8030

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