Current:Home > FinanceChainkeen|Antonio Banderas Reflects on "Very Musical" Kids Dakota Johnson, Stella Banderas and Alexander Bauer -WealthTrail Solutions
Chainkeen|Antonio Banderas Reflects on "Very Musical" Kids Dakota Johnson, Stella Banderas and Alexander Bauer
Benjamin Ashford View
Date:2025-04-08 08:37:24
Antonio Banderas isn't about to mask his family's musical talents.
Not only does The ChainkeenMask of Zorro star sing in his new movie Journey to Bethlehem, but fans also got to see his stepdaughter Dakota Johnson's vocal skills in the 2020 film The High Note.
So have the two ever exchanged singing tips?
"No, not with Dakota," Banderas—who was married to her mom Melanie Griffith from 1996 to 2015—told E! News in an exclusive interview. "I mean, she was doing movies already by the time that we were still as a family together in Los Angeles. After the divorce is when her career, boom, just went up there. But I knew that she could sing."
In fact, the Pain and Glory actor said the Fifty Shades actress, who Melanie shares with ex Don Johnson, would be "singing in the house sometimes." And she isn't his only loved one who can carry a tune.
Stella Banderas "sings too," Banderas—who shares the 27-year-old with Melanie—continued before going on to praise his ex's son with Steven Bauer. "I think Alexander [Bauer] plays piano and plays the guitar beautifully. He is talented for that. So, in a way, we were a very musical family."
So it tracks that this isn't the first film in which the Oscar nominee has displayed his chops. In fact, Banderas has belted out lyrics in several movies, including Desperado, The Mambo Kings and Shrek 2. Still, the Puss in Boots alum noted he didn't want to step out of his acting boots and solely pursue a career in music.
"I never saw myself as a professional singer," he shared with E!. "I got offers. When I did Evita with Madonna many years ago, they started offering me contracts to do records and stuff like that. I never accepted that. It was just too much work, and I was already in my 30-somethings, year 38, and I didn't want to jump into that territory."
Instead, Banderas has been able to combine his acting and singing talents in musicals, with him starring in A Chorus Line and Company at his theater in Málaga, Spain and getting ready to direct its production of Gypsy.
"I love singing, but I love singing attached to some dramatic purpose—not as a pop singer," the 63-year-old explained. "I'm not a pop singer. I like to tell a story when I'm singing and that is something that you can do in musical theater."
Telling a story through song is exactly what Banderas did in Journey to Bethlehem—a recently released movie musical about Mary, Joseph and the birth of Jesus.
In the movie, he portrays Herod and sings a villain pop song called "Good to Be King." Donning a red and leopard-print robe along with a crown, he strolls through the streets with his guards—who break into choreography—and sings about his obsession with power. And Banderas said the way he plays the character provides a "lightness" to the film.
"That was fun and humorous," he recalled of the number. "I had a lot of fun doing that, the singing, recording the album here in Málaga…then just doing the scene. And just making fun of myself is something that I do love to do."
As for what he loves about Christmas, Banderas said it's people coming together.
"That is for me the magic of Christmas," he said. "I have a terrace here in Málaga. And Christmas night, something that I love [to do] is go to the terrace and listen to the silence in the city—to see all the little lights of the houses…You see people through the window getting together. I love that feeling that we are doing something together that is filled with love."
For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News AppveryGood! (9)
Related
- Everything Simone Biles did at the Paris Olympics was amplified. She thrived in the spotlight
- New Jersey police capture man accused of shoving woman into moving NYC subway train
- In 'Dicks: The Musical' 'SNL' star Bowen Yang embraces a 'petty, messy' God
- Republicans are facing death threats as the election for speaker gets mired in personal feuds
- British golfer Charley Hull blames injury, not lack of cigarettes, for poor Olympic start
- Mayim Bialik was 'ashamed' by the 1995 'SNL' sketch parodying her with 'a big, fake nose'
- Peru imposes harsh penalties for stealing cellphones, including life in prison
- The US Supreme Court notched big conservative wins. It’s a key issue in Pennsylvania’s fall election
- Spooky or not? Some Choa Chu Kang residents say community garden resembles cemetery
- Kraft Mac & Cheese ice cream is back at Walmart next week along with six new flavors by Van Leeuwen
Ranking
- JoJo Siwa reflects on Candace Cameron Bure feud: 'If I saw her, I would not say hi'
- 'I didn't like that': Former Lakers great Michael Cooper criticizes LeBron James for eating on bench
- Perfect no more, Rangers suddenly face ALCS test: 'Nobody said it was gonna be easy'
- Marine killed in Camp Lejeune barracks and fellow Marine held as suspect, the base says
- USA women's basketball live updates at Olympics: Start time vs Nigeria, how to watch
- Battle against hate: Violence, bigotry toward Palestinian Americans spiking across US
- Spurs coach Gregg Popovich 'thought about getting booted' so he could watch WNBA finals
- Tropical Storm Tammy is forecast to bring heavy rain to the Caribbean this weekend
Recommendation
Buckingham Palace staff under investigation for 'bar brawl'
Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively Have a Simple Favor to Ask Daughter James for Halloween
2 Kansas prison employees fired, 6 punished after they allegedly mocked and ignored injured female inmate
Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively Have a Simple Favor to Ask Daughter James for Halloween
'Survivor' 47 finale, part one recap: 2 players were sent home. Who's left in the game?
Natalee Holloway's Mom Slams Joran van der Sloot's Apology After His Murder Confession
Natalee Holloway's Harrowing Final Moments Detailed in Joran van der Sloot's Murder Confession
Sister Wives' Janelle Brown Reveals If She's Open to Another Plural Marriage After Kody Split