Dakota Johnson pays tribute to ‘papi’ Antonio Banderas with heartfelt speech
The Spanish actor called daughter Stella Banderas his best production
Dakota Johnson has nothing but love for her former stepfather Antonio Banderas . The Fifty Shades actress presented the Spanish star, 59, with the Hollywood Actor Award at the 23rd annual Hollywood Film Awards on Sunday, November 3. Dakota, whose mother Melanie Griffith was married to Antonio for nearly 20 years, paid tribute to the Zorro star in a heartfelt speech. "There are infinite possibilities for how relationships and family dynamics play out when parents re-marry," she began (via E!). "Sometimes when your parents re-marry you might experience varying degrees of a living nightmare. You may spend your childhood and then some of you adult life, depending on how much therapy you've had really railing against the cosmic joke that seems to be playing out in real time."
Dakota admitted that she got “very lucky” with her mother’s marriage to Antonio. "I got a bonus dad who I realized that, over time, is actually one of the most influential people in my whole life. When I was six years old, my mother married a man who brought an unbelievably bright light, a whole new world of creativity and culture and one remarkably magical little sister in to our family,” she said. “My stepfather Antonio Banderas burst into our lives He was so vibrant and so fun and so funny and his English was abstract and we found it absolutely amazing. He loved my mother and my siblings and I so fiercely and so big and so loud that it would change all of our lives forever. When my family married Antonio, we also married Spain.”
The 30-year-old actress recalled how her stepfather taught her about “true passion and discipline.” ""Now, as a grown woman working in the same industry, I understand that Antonio is one of our finest artists in film, stage and television, in multiple languages," Dakota admitted. "As an actor, director, writer, singer, his range is absolutely astounding. I can look back on his entire career, and time after time, his performances and endeavors as an artist have made an imprint."
Dakota concluded her remarks saying, “Papi, on behalf of your family, we are perpetually in awe of you. We are so proud of you and we love you forever. And it is my honor to give you the Hollywood Film Award for Best Actor.” After her speech, Antonio walked onstage giving his stepdaughter a big hug and kiss on the check.
"I want to dedicate this to two people that I love, one is right here, Dakota, for something very simple, because you always call me papi, and still now you call me papi and I love that!" he said in his acceptance speech. "You have no idea how much I love that!"
"We had 20 years of family life that was beautiful, but the best is still to come," he said, before telling his and Melanie’s daughter Stella Banderas, "No matter how many movies, or stage productions, you have been my best production.” Antonio attended the star-studded event, which marked the launch of awards season, on Sunday with girlfriend Nicole Kimpel, as well as his 23-year-old daughter Stella and her boyfriend Eli Meyer. The Hollywood Film Awards brings together Hollywood’s elite to honor the year’s most talked about and highly anticipated actors, actresses and films, and those who helped bring them to life.
