‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’ Star Antonio Banderas Explains Why Wearing a Cape Is Important

Antonio Banderas returns as the debonaire swashbuckling cat in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. The actor recently talked about his heroic roles in the Shrek franchise and The Mask of Zorro and revealed why he believes wearing a cape is important. 

‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’ is the sequel to Antonio Banderas’ 2011 film

Antonio Banderas first appeared as Puss in Boots in 2004’s Shrek 2. He reprised the voice role for several other Shrek projects, including Shrek the Third, Shrek the Halls, Shrek Forever After, Shrek’s Swamp Stories, and Scared Shrekless. 

In 2011, Banderas starred in his own spinoff, Puss in Boots, which featured Salma Hayek Pinault as Puss’ love interest, Kitty Softpaws. A 13-minute short film, Puss in Boots: The Three Diablos, debuted in 2012 as a bonus feature in the Puss in Boots DVD and Blu-ray release.  

Banderas’ new movie, Puss In Boots: The Last Wish, is a sequel to the 2011 blockbuster and takes place after the events of Shrek Forever After. Hayek returns as Kitty alongside stars Florence Pugh, Olivia Colman, Harvey Guillen, and John Mulaney. 

“Puss in Boots discovers that his passion for peril and disregard for safety have taken their toll,” the synopsis teases. “Puss has burned through eight of his nine lives, though he lost count along the way. Getting those lives back will send Puss in Boots on his grandest quest yet.”

‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’ star Antonio Banderas reveals why wearing a cape is important to him

Discussing Puss in Boots: The Last Wish at the Red Sea Film Festival, Banderas noted the similarities between his animated character and his hero in The Mask of Zorro. The actor recalled he was told early in his career that he would get only villain roles because of his Spanish heritage. So he found playing caped heroes such as Zorro and Puss significant for positive representation.  

“When I arrived in the United States, many of the actors I worked with told me that if you’re going stay in America, you’re going to play the bad guys and the villains. Blacks, Spaniards, and Arabs are the bad guys,” Banderas said (via Deadline).

“That’s why it was important that I got a mask, a sword, and a cape. And the bad guy was blue eyes, blond, and spoke perfect English. Puss in Boots is even better because it’s talking to kids, so kids can know that the good guys can also have an accent. And the bad guys can speak perfect English.”

Banderas talks about ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ and teases another ‘Shrek’ movie

At the Red Sea Festival, Antonio Banderas also talked about some of his future endeavors and noted that Puss in Boots: The Last Wish might not be his last appearance as Puss. In addition, he teased that Mike Myers’ lovable green ogre might return in a new Shrek movie. 

“I’ve been with this cat for almost 20 years,” Banderas said. “The first time I did Puss in Boots, I was working on Broadway, so I did my first session there. I’ve done five movies now. There is probably gonna be another, and Shrek is probably coming back.”

The 62-year-old actor also opened up about his role in the highly anticipated Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and recalled how much fun he had filming alongside Harrison Ford.

“My character is not very big,” Banderas said. “But just to be there is important, working with Harrison.”

Puss In Boots: The Last Wish opens in theaters nationwide on December 21. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is scheduled for a June 2023 release.