ANTONIO BANDERAS Q&A

Antonio Banderas is wearing a checked shirt with embroidery, jeans and suede handmade boots and his own scent which is
heady and delicious. We meet in Amsterdam to talk about his portrayal of the worlds most seductive animated cat, Puss as in
Puss in Boots.
Puss first stole the show as a soft-hearted hired assassin in Shrek. His own movie has been in preparation since 2003 and been
in production for the last three years while animators fleshed out every facial expression from angry to sad, surprised to smug
and several hundred others. There is no doubt that Puss in his boots looks very similar to Banderas in his boots. They have the
same large eyes that are capable of holding a long stare, obviously the same Spanish voice that can occasionally purr and they
are both agile and fast.
Sometimes looking at Banderas is like looking at Puss. In fact director Chris Miller said it was difficult to tell them apart the
lines became blurred. Banderas is most known for making his mark with early Pedro Almodovar movies (Tie me Up! Tie me
Down!), his breakout US role Philadelphia, his iconic Zorro and for directing Crazy In Alabama which starred his wife Melanie
Griffith, but he has managed to make Puss one of his most stunning and heartfelt performances.

Q: Did you base the character of Puss on one of your cats?

A: No - he is based on one of the producer of Shreks cats who takes himself very seriously.

P: Jeste li Makov lik zasnovali na jednoj od svojih maaka-ljubimica?

O: Ne producent reka ima maka koji sebe shvata vrlo ozbiljno; lik Maka zasniva se na njemu.

Q: How did you make Puss so comedic?

A: I think the interesting thing about Puss is that he has a voice that doesnt match his body. The contrast is the comedy. He
tries to be a little bit mysterious. He has a huge love for the opposite sex and he likes to play games. He can be manipulative
just with his eyes. He is my alter ego.

P: Kako ste uspeli da ga uinite tako kominim?

O: Mislim da je vrlo zanimljivo u vezi s Makom to to ima glas koji ne odgovara njegovom telu. Taj kontrast obrazuje komediju.
Trudi se da bude pomalo tajanstven. Gaji ogromnu ljubav prema suprotnom polu i voli da se poigrava. Ume da obradi druge
sluei se samo oima. On je moje drugo ja.

Q: Do you have cats?

A: I have five.Three in Aspen and two in Los Angeles. I like their independence and elegance. I like dogs for their loyalty and
they are easier to manipulate than cats.

P: Imate li make?
O: Imam ih pet. Tri u Aspenu i dve u Los Anelesu. Volim njihovu nezavisnost i otmenost. A pse volim zbog njihove odanosti s
njima je lake nego s makama.

Q: What are your cats like?

A: Penny Lane is brownish black, very thin and very feisty and she talks a lot. Meow meow meow all day long. Maxwell loves to
be petted and caressed and be close to people. Domino lives in Aspen. He has fantastic fur, all white. You love to pet him. He
has a moustache and he looks a bit like Elton John. Betty has the same fur as Domino. She is his sister but she has brownish
fur, an ochre colour. And another cat is the caretaker of our houses cat. She is fat and grey and doesnt like us.

P: Kakve su vae make?

O: Peni Lejn je smekasto-crna, vrlo mrava, velika prznica, veoma priljiva. Mjaue po ceo boji dan. Maksvel voli da se mazi i
da bude s ljudima. Domino ivi u Aspenu. On ima fenomenalno, potpuno belo krzno. Divan je oseaj kad ga mazite. Ima brkove i
pomalo lii na Eltona Dona. Beti ima isto tako divno krzno kao Domino. Njih dvoje su brat i sestra, s tim to je njeno krzno
smekaste, oker boje. A druga maka se brine o naim kunim makama. Ona je debela i siva, i uopte nas ne voli.

Q: Did you always have boots like Puss?

A: Yes Ive worn boots like this (low-heeled tan suede round toed) since I was twelve. These ones are handmade in Mexico near
the studio where we shot Zorro. I met a man who took measurements for my feet and when I want new shoes I just call him and
he says what colour do you want?

P: Jeste li oduvek imali izme poput Makovih?

O: Da, takve izme (od antilopa, ravne, sa zaobljenim prstima) nosim od svoje dvanaeste godine. Ove na meni su runo raene,
u Meksiku, nedaleko od studija gde smo snimali Zoroa. Upoznao sam oveka koji je uzeo mere mojih stopala i kad god poelim
neku novu obuu, pozovem ga, a on me samo upita koje boje?

Q: You have home in Malaga and Los Angeles and Aspen. Where do you feel most at home?
A: Malaga. That is my place. Its sometimes a little painful. My family and friends are there and I continue to work with them but
then I have to leave. I hate the travelling in between. Something happens on planes. I can get really sick and exhausted.

P: Imate kue u Malagi, Los Anelesu i Aspenu. Gde se najvie oseate kod kue?
O: U Malagi. To je moje mesto. Ponekad je malo teko. Porodica i prijatelji su mi tamo i ja ivim s njima, a onda moram da odem.
Mrzim ta putovanja. Neto se deava u avionima. Ponekad iz njega izaem bolestan i iscrpljen.

Q: Perhaps its not the planes, perhaps its because youve made three movies this year including Black Gold, Puss and The
Skin I Live In with Pedro Almodovar. What was it like to work with him for the first time in twenty years?
A: It was difficult. He is so specific you feel that he is stealing your freedom to create the character. It was an artistic battle but it
was also wonderful. My character is a doctor who performs plastic surgery whenever he feels like it. He is very dangerous and
dark but I played him very flat. The normal tendency of any actor would be to go big but in fact I made him move with
tremendous economy.

P: Moda problem nije u avionima, nego u tome to ste ove godine snimili ak tri filma, Crno zlato, Maka u izmama i Koa u
kojoj ivim, s Pedrom Almodovarom. Posle dvadeset godina, kako je bilo raditi s njim?
O: Teko. Tano zna ta hoe, u toj meri da imate oseaj da vam krade slobodu da bi stvorio lik. Bila je to umetnika bitka, ali
ujedno i neto divno. Moj lik je doktor koji obavlja plastine operacije kad god mu se prohte. Vrlo je opasan i mraan, ali odigrao
sam ga kao prilino dosadnog tipa. Normalan poriv svakog glumca bio bi da naglaava tu njegovu mranu prirodu, ali ja sam je
sakrio ispod povrine.

Q: The complete opposite to Puss then who is always overdramatic.

A: Yes. Puss is a surprisingly complex character. I feel he had room to grow and hes much more complicated than he was in
the Shrek movies. He has many interesting stories to tell.

P: Potpuna suprotnost Maku koji je stalno preterano teatralan.

O: Da. Maak je iznenaujue sloen lik. Smatram da je imao prostora da se razvije i da je mnogo sloeniji nego to je bio u
rek filmovima. Pun je zanimljivih pria.

Q: How long was the process of creating Puss?

A: It was very long. Puss the Movie was first thought of in 2003 but Jeffrey (Katzenberg) wanted to complete the Shrek movies
first and didnt want to put him in the middle. When you first get a script you know its a pretext to start working. Its not the final
script. The animators listen to you and you have cameras around you when you start recording. Sometimes they give you
elements of the cat, the hat, the sword. They see how you work with that and then they draw that in the cat. Sometimes you
have the ability to improvise and utilise alternate ways to make things work. You might work three or four hours a day for two
months then you will see the beginning stages of animation. Then you will have more ideas what about this? What about that?
And then you see the movie being edited and you get even more ideas. It takes about two years but at least you dont have to
go in makeup and you can go in your pyjamas and I had a lot of fun.

P: Koliko je trajao proces stvaranja Maka?

O: Veoma dugo. Razmiljanje o filmu Maak u izmama poelo je jo 2003, ali je Defri Kacenberg hteo da prvo zavri serijal
rek i nije eleo da se Maak nae izmeu tih filmova. Kad prvi put dobijete scenario, znate da je to samo izgovor da ponete da
radite, ni sluajno konani scenario. Animatori vas sluaju, a kad ponete da snimate glas, okrueni ste kamerama. Ponekad
vam daju rekvizite make, eir, ma. Vide kako radite s tim i onda docrtaju to kod make. Ponekad ste u stanju da improvizujete
i posluite se nekim drugim nainom da bi stvar funkcionisala. Moe se desiti da dva meseca radite po tri, etiri sata dnevno i tek
onda vidite poetne faze animacije. Tada vam sinu nove ideje kako bi bilo ovako? A ovako? Potom vidite film u montai i
dobijete jo vie ideja. Sve skupa traje oko dve godine, ali barem ne morate da dredite u minkernici i moete da dolazite u
piami ako hoete; odlino sam se zabavljao.

Q: Did you go in your pyjamas?

A: No but other cast members did.

P: Jeste li dolazili u piami?

O: Ja nisam, ali neki od ostalih glumaca jesu.

Q: Was your perfume inspired by catnip?

A: No. Its just a perfume that I really like. I do wear my own perfume.

P: Da li vam je maja nana bila inspiracija za parfem?

O: Nije. To je prosto parfem koji mi se stvarno dopada. Znate, ja koristim svoj parfem.

Q: What will your next role be?

A: I plan to direct again. The movie will be called Solo. My first movies were based on books but this one is based on my idea
and I have written the script with a writer from San Francisco. Its about a Spanish Colonel coming home from Afghanistan who
experienced something crazy, almost touching the world of science fiction.

P: Koja vam je sledea uloga?

O: Planiram da ponovo reiram. Film e se zvati Solo. Moji prvi filmovi zasnivali su se na knjigama, ali ovaj se zasniva na mojoj
ideji i dao sam jednom piscu iz San Franciska da uoblii scenario. Re je o jednom panskom pukovniku koji se vraa iz
Avganistana, gde je doiveo neto suludo, neto to se gotovo granii s naunom fantastikom.

Q: Are you afraid of being the writer/producer and star?

A: Im just going to jump into it and direct myself in a lot of close ups. I am afraid of everything but at the same time I do it
because thats the way life is. Frightening but you have live it.

P: Da li vas plai to to ete biti scenarista, producent i glavna zvezda?

O: Prosto u se baciti u to i snimiti sebe u mnogo krupnih kadrova. Plaim se svega, ali u isto vreme sve to radim, jer ivot je
takav. Zastraujui je, ali nema nam druge do da ga ivimo.

Q: Are you afraid of the close up?

A: No. Not at all. I am more afraid of the ego.

P: Bojite li se tih krupnih kadrova?

O: Ni najmanje. Vie se bojim svog ega.

Q: Do you believe you might be reincarnated as a cat?

A: Im not sure. I often have dreams of flying so perhaps a big bird like an eagle. I am not sure if I believe in it or not but I
believe in the mystery.

P: Verujete li da ete u sledeem ivotu moda biti maka?

O: Nisam siguran. esto sanjam kako letim, tako da e to moda pre biti neka velika ptica, poput orla. Nisam siguran verujem li u
to ili ne, ali izvesno verujem u misteriju.