Washington [US], March 28 : Oscar-nominated actor Antonio Banderas has opened up about the ethnic typecasting he faced early in his career, revealing that he was once told he could only play "bad guys" because of his Hispanic heritage.
Despite this, Banderas has built a career that spans both live-action and animated films, proudly breaking out of the restrictive roles he was initially offered.
As per Deadline, in a recent interview, Banderas recounted, "They said, you are here, like the blacks and the Hispanics, to play the bad guys. The problem was a few years later I had a mask, hat, sword and cape and the bad guy was Captain Love, who was blond and had blue eyes. Even more important is Puss in Boots, because it's for young kids. They see a cat that has a Spanish, even an Andalusian accent and he's a good guy."
Banderas' reflection highlights the significance of his iconic roles as Zorro in The Mask of Zorro (1998) and The Legend of Zorro (2005), and as the swashbuckling feline Puss in Boots, first introduced in Shrek 2 (2004).
He reprised the voice role in Shrek the Third (2007), Shrek Forever After (2010), and in the Puss in Boots spin-offs Puss in Boots (2011) and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022).
In an earlier interview, Banderas addressed his absence from the upcoming Shrek 5, set to premiere on June 30, 2027.
"I'm not so far, and I'm not being called for that," he said, adding,"Puss in Boots did very well. Number two got a nomination for the Oscar, and the movie behaved beautifully at the box office. But I am totally satisfied with the five Puss in Boots that I did. I don't know what is going to happen in the future. Maybe they [will] call me tomorrow," as quoted by Deadline.
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