Antonio Banderas will make your skin crawl in The Skin I Live In,the Pedro Almodovar revenge thriller. Then,vaulting from Skin to fur,hell elicit laughs from the kiddies as the voice of the titular feline in the animated Shrek spin-off,Puss in Boots. This is what an actor wants to be doing, Banderas says,his Spanish accent still thick after years of working primarily in America. These two movies are absolutely different. Puss in Boots is pure entertainment that allows me the possibility of actually bringing some smiles to people. So many people are in stressed conditions nowadays,especially in Europe,and just to make them laugh is kind of a luxurious thing for me. The Skin I Live In actually explores the human condition and the complexities of the human soul, he continues. I play a horrible man,but I just tried to represent him with dignity and honesty. Banderas and Almodovar hadnt worked together in more than 20 years,since Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988) and Tie Me Up,Tie Me Down (1990) helped establish Banderas as an international superstar and Almodovar as one of Europes leading filmmakers. Banderas explains that Almodovar first approached him about The Skin I Live In in 2002,soon after the filmmaker had purchased the rights to the Thierry Jonquet novel. The film is set in the very near future,2012,but veers back and forth through time. It centres on Dr Robert Ledgard (Banderas),a respected Spanish plastic surgeon who,after the fiery disfigurement and death of his wife,breaks all ethical boundaries in an effort to create new skin. He works feverishly in a home laboratory,experimenting for years on a beautiful,imprisoned young woman named Vera (Elena Anaya),all the while seeking vengeance against Vincente (Jan Cornet),who sexually assaulted his mentally unstable teenage daughter,Norma (Blanca Suarez). Also on the scene are the ultra-protective Marilia (Marisa Paredes),a servant who takes care of Ledgard and his home,and her son,Zeca (Roberto Alamo),an on-the-run thief who arrives at Robert¿s house - dressed in a tiger costume - to hide from the police. Ultimately the characters and their respective story lines dovetail in ways that will disturb,titillate,enthrall and/or repulse moviegoers. I think revenge,for Ledgard,is just an excuse to initiate a path that is way darker. This is a monster. He is actually a psychopath,says Banderas,If you remember the movie Alien (1979),the monster was not shown at all,and so you created a monster in your mind that was way bigger than anything anyone could build. Pedro wanted that. On the other hand,the character,hes someone we have seen when,for example,the police arrest a serial killer. Hes found to be a a very nice guy. These kinds of killers,they live in society without being suspected of anything. After rising to prominence in Almodovars early films,Banderas crossed the Atlantic to achieve Hollywood stardom with Philadelphia (1993),Evita (1996),The Mask of Zorro (1998),Spy Kids (2001) and Shrek 2 (2004) and its 2007 and 2010 follow-ups. Since 1996 he also has been married to American actress Melanie Griffith. Given the seismic shifts in their lives since Tie Me Up,Tie Me Down,its no surprise that Banderas uses the word difficult albeit in the best sense - to describe his working relationship with Almodovar. To work with him is difficult,and thank God, Banderas says. He is very demanding of the actors and he is unbelievably precise,like no other director Ive worked with. Hes precise about you moving one finger or your eyebrows,about the way you look,to that level of perfection. When I saw The Skin I Live In for the first time,I realised that he made me play notes I didnt know I had. Banderas has completed several other films,including Steven Soderberghs Haywire,an action film. Banderas also spent three days shooting a cameo role in the romantic comedy He Loves Me,in order to act alongside Annette Bening. When hes not working,Banderas can usually be found at home with Griffith and their daughter,15-year-old Stella. Their family also includes 26-year-old Alexander and 22-year-old Dakota,Griffiths children from previous relationships. Her substance-abuse battles have made news through the years,provoking speculation about the state of their marriage. The secret of being together is as simple and as complex as saying we love each other,and we have the strength to overcome all of the crisis situations and all the problems we may face, he says. IAN SPELLING
