Antonio Banderas opens up about ditching America more than 20 years after emigrating from Spain

Antonio Banderas has opened up about why he made the decision to leave America more than 20 years after he first emigrated from Spain. 

The 65-year-old actor, who recently got candid about his divorce from Melanie Griffith, talked about the topic during an interview with People published on Friday. 

The Mask Of Zorro star relocated to the United States in 1995 after falling in love with Griffith. 

But after suffering a heart attack in 2017, Banderas explained that it had been an 'unbelievably clear reminder' of what was important to him in his life, which included returning to his home country. 

He called his relationship with Griffith and success in Hollywood 'beautiful, exciting years.'

However, Banderas admitted to the outlet that he 'always had this sense of provisionality that it was not going to last my whole life.' 

'I knew that Malaga was there, my hometown. I was not supposed to be in Malibu, but in Malaga.'

Daily Mail has reached out to reps for Banderas for comment, but has yet to hear back.  

Back in 2017, Banderas began to feel pain in his chest while at his residence in Surrey, England. 

The actor was transported to a hospital where he underwent emergency surgery and had three stents placed in his arteries. 

'My heart attack was the best thing that ever happened in my life,' he also reflected to People. 

'It was like somebody put glasses on me so I could see the reality that I didn't see before.' 

Banderas additionally discussed the impact of the health scare during a conversation with The Times in March. 

'Mine was a really serious warning. It changed the way I look at life,' he candidly expressed. 'Faced with death, it made me look back and realize that I am, in fact, a theater actor.' 

The star has since moved to his home country of Spain where he lives with longtime girlfriend Nicole Kimpel. 

The actor also runs his own theatre company called Teatro del Soho, which he founded in 2019. 

Banderas told the outlet, 'I have never been so happy,' although he is losing money to a 'vice to which I am addicted.' 

'I did theatre on Broadway in 2003 with quite a bit of success - we won a Tony that year for Nine - but there were lots of musicals I wanted to put on at a time when there were no musicals in Spain.' 

He continued, 'Then the opportunity arose to buy this venue, a former cinema, which was in a state of disrepair and full of asbestos. It was awful. So I cleared it out and built it inside its shell.'

And while talking to Fox News Digital in 2023, Banderas said his heart attack had been 'a knock at the door for me.' 

'I mean, if people ask me, "So, how is it to have a heart attack?" I don't know. I can tell you about my own.' 

The Desperado actor expressed that 'it was a close call and advice to just really, really, really look at life in a different way. I was just going on the wrong path.'

Banderas explained that he threw himself into work following his divorce from Griffith. 

The former couple married in 1996 and welcomed their daughter named Stella, 29. 

Their split was announced in 2014 and the divorce was finalized the following year in December 2015. 

'I was coming out of my divorce and was confused. It was just doing a lot of things. I'm protecting myself and finding sanctuary in work. Making movies one behind the other. It was crazy.' 

Despite the divorce, Banderas revealed that he and his ex-wife are still 'best friends' in his latest interview with People. 

The star has been keeping busy and also took on a role in the new biographical comedic drama Tony. 

The A24 film is based on the late Anthony Bourdain's early days of working in Provincetown, Massachusetts. 

Other cast members include Dominic Sessa, Emilia Jones, Dagmara Dominczyk, Rich Sommer and Leo Woodall. 

Tony hit limited theaters in the United States on August 7, before officially releasing on August 21.