Antonio Banderas Reflects on "Very Musical" Kids Dakota Johnson, Stella Banderas and Alexander Bauer

Antonio Banderas isn't about to mask his family's musical talents.

Not only does The Mask of Zorro star sing in his new movie Journey to Bethlehem, but fans also got to see his stepdaughter Dakota Johnson's vocal skills in the 2020 film The High Note.

So have the two ever exchanged singing tips?

"No, not with Dakota," Banderas—who was married to her mom Melanie Griffith from 1996 to 2015—told E! News in an exclusive interview. "I mean, she was doing movies already by the time that we were still as a family together in Los Angeles. After the divorce is when her career, boom, just went up there. But I knew that she could sing." 

In fact, the Pain and Glory actor said the Fifty Shades actress, who Melanie shares with ex Don Johnson, would be "singing in the house sometimes." And she isn't his only loved one who can carry a tune.

Stella Banderas "sings too," Banderas—who shares the 27-year-old with Melanie—continued before going on to praise his ex's son with Steven Bauer. "I think Alexander [Bauer] plays piano and plays the guitar beautifully. He is talented for that. So, in a way, we were a very musical family."

So it tracks that this isn't the first film in which the Oscar nominee has displayed his chops. In fact, Banderas has belted out lyrics in several movies, including Desperado, The Mambo Kings and Shrek 2. Still, the Puss in Boots alum noted he didn't want to step out of his acting boots and solely pursue a career in music.

"I never saw myself as a professional singer," he shared with E!. "I got offers. When I did Evita with Madonna many years ago, they started offering me contracts to do records and stuff like that. I never accepted that. It was just too much work, and I was already in my 30-somethings, year 38, and I didn't want to jump into that territory."

Instead, Banderas has been able to combine his acting and singing talents in musicals, with him starring in A Chorus Line and Company at his theater in Málaga, Spain and getting ready to direct its production of Gypsy.

"I love singing, but I love singing attached to some dramatic purpose—not as a pop singer," the 63-year-old explained. "I'm not a pop singer. I like to tell a story when I'm singing and that is something that you can do in musical theater."

Telling a story through song is exactly what Banderas did in Journey to Bethlehem—a recently released movie musical about Mary, Joseph and the birth of Jesus. 

In the movie, he portrays Herod and sings a villain pop song called "Good to Be King." Donning a red and leopard-print robe along with a crown, he strolls through the streets with his guards—who break into choreography—and sings about his obsession with power. And Banderas said the way he plays the character provides a "lightness" to the film.

"That was fun and humorous," he recalled of the number. "I had a lot of fun doing that, the singing, recording the album here in Málaga…then just doing the scene. And just making fun of myself is something that I do love to do."

As for what he loves about Christmas, Banderas said it's people coming together.

"That is for me the magic of Christmas," he said. "I have a terrace here in Málaga. And Christmas night, something that I love [to do] is go to the terrace and listen to the silence in the city—to see all the little lights of the houses…You see people through the window getting together. I love that feeling that we are doing something together that is filled with love."

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