Antonio Banderas has been a working actor since the early 1980s, but it would take until the '90s for the Spanish star to truly make a name for himself. With starring roles in several high profile productions, including 1995's Desperado and 1998's The Mask of Zorro, Banderas was thrust into the limelight — and into the hearts of adoring female fans throughout the world. Banderas was also attached to Melanie Griffith, one of Hollywood's biggest leading ladies at the time. Of course, that didn't stop other women from making attempts on Banderas' heart. So who tried to steal Antonio Banderas from Melanie Griffith? Let's find out.
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00:00Antonio Banderas made a name for himself alongside iconic Spanish filmmaker Pedro
00:05Almodóvar in the 80s, but he didn't capture the hearts of American fans until the following decade.
00:10In the 90s, the good-looking Spaniard made a major splash in Hollywood when he starred
00:14in a series of popular films, including Interview with the Vampire, Evita, and The Mask of Zorro.
00:19And it was in all of those movies that Banderas tidily owned the big screen
00:23with some of Hollywood's hottest stars.
00:25Finally, we agree on something."
00:27All while he was taking Hollywood by storm,
00:29the actor was also making serious moves in his personal life.
00:32Banderas divorced his first wife, Annalessa, in 1996. And that same year,
00:36he married American actor Melanie Griffith, who co-starred with him in the 95 rom-com Too Much.
00:41As E! News noted, at the time, Banderas was separated,
00:44but still married to his first wife when he and Griffith began dating.
00:47Even though Banderas fell in love with Griffith on set,
00:50he admitted to being struck by her years earlier.
00:52He first laid eyes on the iconic actor at the 1989 Academy Awards, according to ABC News.
00:57So maybe theirs was a relationship that was always meant to happen,
01:01and they lived out that destiny for 18 years, with Griffith ultimately filing for divorce in 2014.
01:06But the couple endured plenty of adversity while they were together, including health
01:10scares, addiction, and even one particular famous woman trying to steal Antonio away.
01:15So who was this mysterious almost-mistress? It just so happens, it was the Queen of Pop herself.
01:20In the 1991 documentary Madonna, Truth or Dare, the singer openly admitted she once
01:24had a crush on Banderas, and even tried to hook up with him.
01:27"'I'm gonna make Antonio fall madly in love with me.'"
01:30We don't know exactly how she tried to convey her feelings for the Spaniard,
01:33but her methods can't have been on the up-and-up. As the story goes,
01:37Banderas had no idea Madonna was attracted to him until she called
01:40and told him about her confession in the documentary. He revealed to Jess Cagle in 2019,
01:45"'I thought somebody was making a joke at me because I picked up my phone in my hotel room,
01:48and it was Madonna.'"
01:49But that rather public admission didn't breeze by Griffith.
01:52When Banderas and Madonna were cast in the 1996 film Evita,
01:56Griffith was very much present on the set, but denies Madonna was the reason.
02:00She explained to Larry King in 2002,
02:02"'Madonna was after him publicly. I had just gotten pregnant, and I went with him.'"
02:06So the press made a big thing about how Melanie's watching over Antonio because
02:09she's afraid that Madonna's going to steal him. And it really wasn't the case.
02:13But regardless of the real story, Griffith says she was ultimately banned from the set.
02:16Still, for her part, Madonna never hid the fact that she was attracted to Banderas. In 2015,
02:21she confirmed to Howard Stern that she would have dated the Spanish actor if the timing were right.
02:25She said,
02:26"'He's hot. I had a big crush on him. But he was with Melanie Griffith. I wished.'"
02:30But Madonna wasn't the only one who thought Griffith was a little too present in her
02:34husband's professional life. According to Yahoo!, some of the other Evita cast and
02:38crew turned against Griffith after the media pegged her as being jealous of Madonna.
02:42According to MTV, Madonna was on her best behavior around the couple,
02:45and even skipped a premiere afterparty out of respect. But it wasn't the first
02:48time Madonna was prevented from making a pass at Banderas. Amadovar recalled in an essay for
02:53English that Madonna had attended a party thrown by the filmmaker in 1990, just so she could meet
02:57Banderas. But she wasn't expecting him to show up with his first wife, Ana Lessa. The director
03:02recalled,
03:03"'Ana dared to get close to our table and told Madonna sarcastically,
03:06"'I see you like my husband. It doesn't surprise me. All women like him.
03:09But I don't mind because I am very modern.'"
03:11To which Madonna replied,
03:13"'Obviously, I am not an average man.'"