- What is your idea of perfect happiness? The very short instant right after accomplishing something very challenging.
- What is your greatest fear? The death of my loved ones.
- What is the trait you most deplore in yourself? My pathological incapacity to say no.
- What is the trait you most deplore in others? I don’t like fake people, impostors.
- What do you dislike most about your appearance? I would like to be four inches taller. (He’s 5′ 9″)
- What is your current state of mind? Excited and calm even if it is a contradiction.
- If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? The age. I would like to be 30 years old now.
- If you could change one thing about your family, what would it be? I wouldn’t change my family for anything in the world.
- What do you consider your greatest achievement? I survived Hollywood.
- If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be? A mountain.
- If you could choose what to come back as, what would it be? The ocean.
- What is your most marked characteristic? People always say my eyes.
- What is the quality you most like in a man? Integrity.
- What is the quality you most like in a woman? Compassion.
- What do you most value in your friends? Loyalty.
~ Antonio Banderas, excerpts from “Antonio Banderas Answers the Proust Questionnaire” Vanity Fair, December 12, 2019
Photo: Actor Antonio Banderas attends the “The Skin I Live In” premiere at the Palais des Festivals during the 64th Cannes Film Festival on May 19, 2011 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Michael Buckner/Getty Images)
Live & Learn 
I always find these so interesting, they are always a bit revealing. most of his answers were not surprising, kind of went along with my assumptions, and interesting that his height was what he would change, above other things.
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Agree Beth. Also surprised to see the heavy mortality theme.
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How about you do a Proust Questionnaire series ?
I think this mortality theme hits pasta certain age. I blame it on age, or on you.
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1) I have already done this. (Must not have been memorable)
2) Agree.
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Laughing…
Very memorable. I remember that very well.
I mean a different family member or friend every week.
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Now that’s an interesting idea. Let me noodle. Want to be the first guest?
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If you decide to do it I’d be happy to be you first guest!
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k. Please send me photo to my email address. I will begin to frame up questions for you.
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Sounds great…
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This will be cool to read!
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David, oh YESSSSS – please do!
If you did, you did ‘before Kiki’ – need to see that!
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Here, Kiki! https://davidkanigan.com/2017/10/27/dk-proust-questionnaire/
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I’m not LIKING this, I’m LOVING THIS…. Thanks Dale – I’ll read it carefully another time.
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Can’t believe this was over 2 years ago!
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Now I have to go snooping to find it as it must have been before my time 😉
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Pasta? – – – I just had lunch…..
aaaah, past a ….. 😉
Resounding YES to a Proustian Questionnaire !
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Pasta, I must have been hungry 🙂
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I love these questionnaires even if the responder has ample time to contrive their responses. There’s always a sliver of accuracy in there – no surprise that a height challenged person would consider being a mountain. Just ask me 😉
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Me too…smiling about height. So good.
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Mimi, I’d say the same – except that I would somehow have to combine the greater height with a lesser weight – but we mustn’t be ahead of ourselves. If Dave is taking up this game (which would be a brill idea as we all know each other so well by now….) and we shouldn’t give everything away already at this stage, right?!
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This Program is rolling. Stay tuned.
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I’m wondering what caught your eye about this interview, DK. You identify with many of his answers?
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Excellent observation! Let’s see what the (honest) verdict is!
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Carol, wow. I read your comment and asked myself: “Self, what did catch your eye on this Banderas.” And, one word came to mind – – “This Man is well Grounded.”
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🙂 I like it!
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Agreed… he IS well grounded. I like 🙂
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Apart from the fact that I totally and utterly got the wrong person in my mind (I thought TANGO DANCING) – AND I wondered about his dancing when I saw a movie with him in it (again, how on earth did that idea get born in my muddled mind…. Gosh!), I have to confess that I find him a really goodlooking guy. I also understand his problem about his 1.74m he measures. Not easy in a man. I was then gobsmacked about his really stellar moral statements. Bravo! And then I’d like to know how you choose an article like this one, and you may reply to RELAX, who asked first.
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He’s more than 1.74 😉 I’m at 1.75 and I’m 5’8 1/2″ 😉
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Took this info from the -knows it all- internet:
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000104/bio
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Hah! Same height as me… and I lie and say 5’9″ too 😉 But my driver’s license says 1.75 so Imma keep that 😉
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Dale, fun fact (and I hold up my fingers to swear that this is true!): Two years after my divorce, I needed a new passport – I had ‘grown’ 2 cm since…. Isn’t that amazing? In the meantime, I think I’m shrinking again, age taking a toll, I’m only growing in a lateral direction!
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Hah! Must have been more than a psychological squashing… That’s crazy cool.
Ah the joys of aging. Not.
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You are TALL…. I’m just back from downtown Zurich, where I crossed the tallest woman I’ve seen in my whole life. I thought she was wearing stilts. Her legs were endless, she was ultra-thin, AND had very high hair on which she wore a polar hat with ear-covers too, she must have been 7ft height and she was licking a large lolly on a stick too….. What a sight! Hero Husband is tall, 6.4, she must have been 20cm taller than him.
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Not all that tall. I was aiming for 5’10” 😉
Now that woman was beyond tall! I guess when you reach those heights nothing stops you from doing anything!
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I’m sure she was a model – black, could have been a runner like that bare-foot runner woman from years ago! (I’m not talking about sandal wearing runner Loreena)
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I hear ya…
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Kiki. Grown 2 cm. That’s Cr*p. I’m sorry. You must have been three sheets to the wind and laying down when you measured.
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LOL! I wasn’t gonna say… but I was tempted to say maybe one day they measured you wrong!
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Hmmmmm.
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That’s what I thought too Kiki: “Bravo to you Antonio”
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Fascinating — I too think doing your own series would be brilliant Dave — though I do hope that on the question — your greatest achievement — no one answers quite so glibly! At least that’s how I see his answer. The height thing makes sense to be too — not much about that face I’d change, that’s for sure! 🙂 And as a vertical under-achiever, I can relate, especially where high cupboards are concered!
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So interesting Louise. I had you pegged at a min of 5′ 10″! How tall are you?
As to Proust for me, we been there a few years ago:
https://davidkanigan.com/2017/10/27/dk-proust-questionnaire/
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Inside I am 5’10”! To the world, I appear as 5’2 1/2 ” 🙂
I’ll have to check out the link. How cool!
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5’10” – that’s a great height!
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I really have to stretch to get there! 🙂
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And… I just read your answers. Lovely humour and humility — no real surprises though lots of great insights — I am an extroverted/introvert — I can ‘do’ large groups but prefer my small intimate circle of friends around the table. I intensely dislike cocktail parties or any function where I feel I have to ‘be on’. I was fortunate, I grew up with a perfect smile, which means, I could smile and no one would realize how uncomfortable/frightened/uneasy I am! My greatest accomplishment is having learned to smile from my heart and let go of the masks — Love your comments re the mask and the Peter Brock quote.
I’ll most definitely have to consider the questionnaire!
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Thank you Louise. I read your thought here: “I intensely dislike cocktail parties or any function where I feel I have to ‘be on’”, and i’m shaking my head ME ME ME. Thanks for sharing.
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Reblogged this on It Is What It Is and commented:
ANTONIO BANDERAS … a man of high stature and talent!! #Proud …
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This was a fun post, DK. I’m off to snoop to find your answers… 😉
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Cyber Stalker!!!!
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Oh. You have NO idea… 😉
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OMG
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In a good way, of course… you need not worry.
Much.
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Of course!
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Always love dipping below the surface of peeps! Wondering …. If you were to do yours again, would the answers be the same?
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Val, they definitely would not be the same. No they wouldn’t. 🙂
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Whew! Mine too! 😉
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Love Banderas! Enjoyed this article and getting some insight into the man.
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Me too!
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