“Picasso was a very important figure in
my life,” Banderas begins. “When I was
going to school as a little kid holding
the hand of my mother, we always
crossed in front of Picasso’s
house – where he was born.
It was powerful. I am talking
about a time when Spain
didn’t have too many
international heroes, so
Picasso broke that barrier
when we were pretty much
isolated by a dictatorship living
under Francisco Franco’s rule.”
The newest season of Genius follows the
phenomenal reception of the first ofering in
2017, which focused on a man who defined
the word: Albert Einstein. It garnered 10 Emmy
nominations and a Best Performance by an
Actor in a Limited Series or Motion Picture
Made for Television Golden Globe nod for
Australian Geofrey Rush. But this icon, the
prolific Picasso, is a diferent kind of genius.
Producers Ron Howard and Brian Grazer
share that including the talented painter in
this collection of stories was no accident.
“Einstein and Picasso were in diferent
arenas, but they were progenitors of disruption
in their time,” Grazer says. “Both were highly
original in the way they thought and challenged
diferent forces in the world.”
What is fate, though, is that Banderas had
been ofered the chance to portray his hero
in the past. “There have been a couple of
times that I’ve been asked to play Picasso,
but I’ve said no,” shares the entertainer,
whose past credits include Desperado,
The Mask of Zorro and Puss in Boots.
“This time was diferent. I said no before
because it was a big responsibility and it
came to me at a time in my life when I didn’t
want to accept it. But this is the right time.
It came with great scripts, with seriousness
and with National Geographic – which was
giving the entire project all the facts that we
needed to be able to create the complexity
of a character like this.”
With every brush stroke and acting beat
Banderas was reminded that this project was
like no other he’d ever participated in, and
the most challenging of his career to date.
“He’s a mystery even for me,” reveals the
Hollywood veteran. “I studied him for a long
time, long before I knew I was going to play
him. I was always curious about this man
who lived two blocks from my house and,
though he left Málaga when he was a little
younger than me, we both went into the
world and left behind our land.”
But as all-consuming as the role was,
there are many Picasso personality traits
Banderas enjoyed bringing to life, including
his refusal to conform to societal norms.
“He never accepted the rules of his times
and that damaged people surrounding him.
He’s unbelievably interesting.”
Although excited about the premiere of
his depiction this month, Banderas is also
feeling a little apprehensive.
“I hope I portrayed him correctly,” he grins,
adding: “Otherwise I might not be able to go
back to my hometown!”
WORDS: MICHELE MANELIS. PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES; NATIONAL GEOGRAPHICMUST WATCH
1
There was rivalry between the Spaniard
and other contemporary artists, such as
Henri Matisse. But the two were also friends
who influenced each other’s work.
2
Though he was born in conservative
1881, sexual freedom was something
Picasso (pictured above) practiced regularly.
Even at the ripe old age of 90, it was an
important part of his life.
3
Picasso believed in the philosophy that
an artist needs to work hard but should
stay childlike, to allow creativity to flourish.
4
He conducted the professional, artistic
side of his life with just as much of the
chaos and turbulence that was peppered
throughout his personal life.
5
His relationship with women was highly
controversial and he may not have fared
too well in today’s #MeToo movement. The
renowned womaniser famously believed:
“There are only two types of women
- goddesses and doormats.”
About Picasso
Need to brush-up on your artist
trivia? We have you covered
“[Picasso] never accepted the rules of his times
and that damaged people” – Antonio Banderas
Samantha Colley plays
photographer Dora Maar,
Picasso’s muse and loverFoxtel APRIL 31