“I went hungry in my first era”: Antonio Banderas’ hard confession before becoming a Hollywood legend

Behind each Hollywood star there is a story Not everyone knows. In the case of Antonio BanderasMillions identify him with glamor and successes, but his path to stardom began between improvised deficiencies and dishes with how little he had. Fame did not arrive alone: ​​it was built with struggle, constancy and hunger, literally.

Before conquering red carpets and working with renowned directors, flags survived with the right in Madriddreaming of becoming an actor. Today, the protagonist of The fox’s mask and The cat with boots He opened his heart to talk about the past that forged his character. A raw, inspiring and deeply human story.

Antonio Banderas’ sacrifice: how poverty forged its character and led it to stardom

Before the flashes and filming sets, Antonio Banderas slept hungry in Madrid. He arrived in the capital with the position, determined to be an actor, but without resources to even eat regularly. “I bought a book on how to cook a dad, which was the cheapest, and learned to make them a thousand ways,” he said in an interview he rescued Esquire. His food was minimal, but his desire were huge.

Precariousness became routine. His menu, based on potatoes and tomato cans, was very far from the glamor that would later surround him. “I did not know that the gnocchi were made with dad. With a tomato little latita and the gnocchi was happy”, He recalled, suggesting how scarcity forced him to become creative even in the kitchen.

Far from demotivating himself, that difficult stage tempered the character. Poverty not only did not overcome it, but it strengthened it. “In Madrid I spent a lot of hunger,” he said bluntly, and that experience, according to himself, was key to understanding what it means to win a place without shortcuts.

Every audition, every rejection, every night without dinner, pushed him to follow. Its history is different from that of many born within the show circuit. Banderas built his way with effort, without “levers”, and with a determination that today translates into a solid and respected race.

What were the biggest challenges Antonio Banderas faced when making the transition from Madrid to Hollywood?

The jump from Madrid to Hollywood was not automatic or simple. Although he already had a rising career, face the American industry monster was another challenge. “When you enter Hollywood, you realize that there are many people there who have an easy story for being ‘children of’,” he said, in clear reference to the calls Nepo Babies. Banderas did not have that luck.

His main support was Pedro Almodóvarwho directed it in several films that opened international doors. But once there, in the Mecca of the cinema, it had to be asserted. Adapting to a new language, to other production dynamics and a competitive environment was a demanding process.

In spite of everything, flags never lost sight of its origin. “I like to go to Hollywood, but I don’t need to be there. My brand is already made”, He said. And that security, built by force of hard years, is what distinguishes it: it did not arrive by contacts, it came by its own merit.