Antonio Banderas Tells Us Why Language Connects Our Children to Culture {Video}

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Antonio Banderas probably never dreamed that his character of Puss, which was first introduced in Shrek 2, would take him down a magical road that is making a huge stop at the end of this year with the premiere of his own starring role as Puss in Boots.

We were part of a small group of bloggers and media invited to get a sneak peek of the first hilarious 13 minutes of the film which basically gives you the legendary story of Puss before he meets Shrek and Donkey. A prequel of sorts.

What we got to see had all the Latina bloggers cracking up because of the very Latino-feel and vibe of the movie. Flamenco-dancing felines in a cat fight inside a Spanish cave are always fun to watch! Adding to the Latino-ness of the movie are Salma Hayek, in the role of the very sexy Kitty, and the superb Guillermo del Toro heading this Dreamworks animated film as Executive Producer.

After the film preview, we got the chance to stalk chat with Antonio Banderas and Guillermo del Toro. Of course, I wouldn’t pass up the chance to talk to them about my favorite subject of all: bilingual and bicultural upbringings. We loved to know that his daughter, Stella Banderas, speaks Spanish and is completely bilingual!

We were told that we could not record video.  Obedient as I am, I was only recording audio during my question, and then I saw that everyone had their video cameras out! So, the most important answer is audio-only (!), but I was able to get a bit more of video for your Banderas-viewing enjoyment. Can’t keep that moment all to myself! (And if you needed to know: Sí, ¡es bien guapo!)

Below is a transcript of the audio-only portion where Antonio Banderas answers when I asked him how important it was to him that his daughter, Stella del Carmen, be raised bilingually and that we all strive to do so:  (Scroll up for the full interview and down for the first official trailer of Puss In Boots.)

That’s something that I start with my own daughter. It’s cultural. It’s not the same to read Gabriel García Marquez in Spanish, than to read a translation in English.  The subtleness of the language is there, you know.  So for me it’s very important that she’s connected with a world that she belongs to and it expands your mind. Even for Americans, I would tell them to learn Spanish, too. I think for me it has been very important to also learn English because it gave me possibilities in another language. Not only working for somebody, which it did, obviously, but also cultural possibilities. To read, in this case, Fitzgerald, for example, in its own language which is an unbelievable, beautiful experience. So, yes, I recommend for everybody to have the possibility to actually open themselves to different languages because you understand not only just the language, you  understand the character of the people which is related to that.

Puss In Boots Movie Trailer

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Htwiwtbnlqg&playnext=1&list=PL0DB8F548DE4BFEE6