Antonio Banderas already has a release date for the culinary movie he prepared in the kitchen of his restaurant in Malaga.

Paco Griñán

Málaga

Antonio Banderas's passion for cooking has made its way to the big screen. His network of hospitality establishments has expanded across the capital, from the gastrobar Tercer Acto next to his Teatro del Soho Caixabank to the popular tavern El Pimpi de Alcazabilla. A few days ago, he filmed a new episode in Málaga for the TVE contest 'Masterchef', but if we want to see the actor in action in the kitchen, we only have to wait until the summer with the premiere of his new Hollywood movie, 'Tony', in which he plays a master chef. He prepared for the role by taking classes at one of his restaurants, La Pérgola del Mediterráneo, where he learned to clean fish and seafood. It wasn't a free training. In the movie trailer, these are precisely the skills of the character from Málaga.

The first images of 'Tony', directed by Matt Johnson ('BlackBerry' and 'Operation Avalanche'), reveal a revealing and previously unknown fact as Banderas's character is not the protagonist, the chef and popular presenter Anthony Bourdain, but he plays his mentor, who taught him the secrets of the kitchen when the cook aspired to be a writer and started washing dishes in a restaurant in the fishing village of Provincetown (Massachusetts) to pay for his studies. Dominic Sessa ('Those Who Remain') plays the main character, while the rest of the cast also includes Emilia Jones ('Coda' and 'Task') and the British actor Leo Woodall ('Nuremberg' and 'Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy').

Antonio Banderas plays a master chef and mentor to the young chef Anthony Bourdain

Although the filming took place a year ago, Antonio Banderas returned last April to the US to film "a couple more scenes" and definitively conclude the recording of 'Tony', which will premiere next summer, although still without a specific date. This gastronomic biopic focuses on the youth of Anthony Bourdain, specifically on the summer that would mark his life when a temporary and food-related job became his unexpected vocation. Among other things, the character learns from his master played by Banderas how to open and clean oysters, the star dish of the restaurant in the fiction. A skill that the man from Málaga learned precisely from his own team of chefs at La Pérgola. "I had great teachers, very talented and with a lot of patience," Banderas confessed about the chefs at his establishment, who helped and instructed him for the role.

Charisma and Suicide

Although not as well known in our country, chef Anthony Bourdain was a phenomenon in the United States for exposing the hidden side and excesses of the world of gastronomy. He had his own television program, and his charisma made him a popular figure, to the point that Barack Obama filmed an episode of 'Parts Unknown' (CNN) with him. His personal commitment and critical spirit led him to publicly confront another president, Donald Trump, in his first term, whose immigration policy was contested by the chef who exposed the reality of his own sector: his fellow chefs were mostly foreigners and Latinos, without whom America would not eat. Depression was the cause of his suicide in 2018, at the age of 61, which caused a great shock in the world of gastronomy and among viewers.

"I had great teachers, very talented and with a lot of patience," confesses Banderas about the chefs at his restaurant who helped him prepare for the character

Produced by A24 -the same company with which Antonio Banderas filmed the erotic thriller 'Babygirl'-, 'Tony' will be the first release of the year for the actor from Málaga, who last year completed up to three filmings. Thus, he also has pending the release of another movie related to 'fishing' and the sea, Above & Below' (Up and Down), a thriller about sharks in which he worked under the direction of Jesse V. Johnson ('Web of Betrayal'). The film tells the story of a group of friends who embark on an unforgettable vacation on a luxury yacht, an adventure that turns into a nightmare when they are attacked by pirates and besieged by sharks.

The actor also has pending the premiere of the family drama 'Rose's Baby' (Rose's Baby), a British production that has brought together the Spaniard with fellow Spaniard Úrsula Corberó ('Money Heist') and the English actress Eva Birthistle ('Just a Kiss' and 'The Last Kingdom'). The trio stars in a personal project of actress and producer Trudie Styler ('Maniac' and 'The Next Three Days'), who makes her directorial debut with this story about a divorced couple and parents of a girl, who face the dilemma of setting aside their differences to conceive another child that could cure their eldest daughter's serious illness.

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