During a press conference to promote the 20th annual Málaga Film Festival in his hometown in Spain on Saturday, Antonio Banderas revealed Saturday that he had a heart attack in January which resulted in surgery and, ultimately, a new lease on life.
“I put a major punch to the potato in the last 37 years,” the 56-year-old actor joked, according to the Spanish news outlet El Pais. “I had a heart attack on January 26, but I was very lucky, it was benign and it did not leave any damage. … I underwent an intervention in which three stents were implanted in my coronary arteries, and since I suffered from arrhythmia for a long time (an irregular heartbeat) I underwent a thermoablation (laser surgery), but it has not been as dramatic as it has been written.”
Banderas, who was presented with an honorary Biznaga de Oro award at the festival, attributed his addiction to work over his nearly four-decade acting career as the cause of the “major beating” his heart took. He now insists that he is on the mend and “wanting to return to work.”
The life-threatening events, however, has paused him long enough to acknowledge his tendency to be a workaholic and rethink “many things” about his life moving forward. As he puts it, “In the shadow of a boat I want to lie down one day and throw everything behind me and dream of joy.”
15 Golden Globes Snubs and Surprises, From Martin Scorsese to Taraji P. Henson (Photos)
Here's who the HFPA embraced -- and dissed -- on Globes nomination morning
Martin Scorsese - Snub The esteemed filmmaker was shut out of the Best Director category, which saw nods for the likes of Tom Ford ("Nocturnal Animals") and Mel Gibson ("Hacksaw Ridge").
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"Silence" - Snub Likewise, Scorsese's nearly three-hour epic about Jesuit priests in feudal Japan did not land Best Picture or acting noms for stars Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver and Liam Neeson.
Warner Bros.
Jonah Hill - Surprise The little-seen Todd Philips comedy “War Dogs” landed Jonah Hill and Best Supporting Actor nomination (although our Awards guru Steve Pond did predict this).
Taraji P. Henson - Snub The “Empire” queen and grounding force of Fox Searchlight’s “Hidden Figures” was given recognition for neither her TV day job (as she was last year, with a win) or her buzzy film turn this year.
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“Empire” - Snub Lee Daniels’ hip-hop saga was shut out of the Best Drama Series category after placing last year.
Fox
Colin Farrell - Surprise “The Lobster” was a Cannes darling from 2015 that has eeked along on the charm of its alternate reality, where single people approaching the age of 40 must marry or be turned into animals. Farrell swooped in, taking several expected leading men out of the running.
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Warren Beatty Despite its low box office performance and lukewarm reception, "Rules Don't Apply" was expected to earn Beatty an acting nom. (Lily Collins did get a nomination for Best Actress - Musical or Comedy.)
Tom Hanks - Snub The actor’s presumed nomination for “Sully” could’ve been by bounced by the inclusion of Viggo Mortensen and Joel Edgerton in the Drama Actor category.
Matthew McConaughey - Snub The Weinstein Company drama “Gold” did not screen for voting groups and critics until late in the season, but McConaughey was expected to rate.
TWC
Simon Helberg - Surprise As a very patient pianist opposite Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant in "Florence Foster Jenkins," Helberg emerged as an early contender -- and he made good with a surprise nomination for Best Supporting Actor Musical or Comedy.
Octavia Spencer - Surprise Though her co-stars Taraji P. Henson and Janelle Monae have flashier roles in "Hidden Figures," this Academy Award winner came through with a Best Supporting Actress nom.
Robin Wright - Snub The awards gods have forsaken the house that Underwood built, and snubbed the heart (or lack thereof) of "House of Cards" -- Robin Wright, in some of the finest work of her career -- as well as the entire series.
Netflix
Kevin Spacey - Snub Same goes for her husband and worse half Frank Underwood.
"House of Cards" - Snub And let's just go ahead and pour one out for the series as a whole, Netflix's first original breakthrough.
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Hailee Steinfeld - Surprise
The R-rated teen comedy has generated very little buzz, though there was talk about Woody Harrelson's performance as a high school principal. So Hailee Steinfeld's recognition as Best Actress - Musical or Comedy seemed to come out of nowhere.
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”House of Cards,“ ”Empire“ fall as Hollywood Foreign Press makes jaw-dropping omissions
Here's who the HFPA embraced -- and dissed -- on Globes nomination morning