MELANIE GRIFFITH
Born 9 August 1957, New
York, New York, USA. ``He asked me how old I was,'' say Griffith, (talking about her first meeting with Antonio (or at least the first meeting she remembers) -- so much for viewing Antonio as a slick "Latin lover".)
When did you realize you
guys were falling for each other?
First
row: Haunted premiere in London: Puerto Rico for Assassins; formal shot done in Spain,
Fall, 1995 CAUGHT UNAWARE The media was totally unprepared when Antonio Banderas fell in love with Melanie Griffith. The tabloids, who went all out in May 1995 when the relationship was obvious, were unable to see the relationship developing and totally ignored early warning signs. They at that time (and for a year and a half later) were still trying to milk a story out of a nonexistent Antonio and Madonna connection. Example: Premiere magazine included a short bit that was repeated by Ted Casablanca on E!'s Gossip:
Not only the media was caught unaware by the developing relationship, but also their co-workers. However, this merely confirms what Antonio has said -- that they were very professional while filming Two Much and were not "fooling around" at the time. Apparently, how important Melanie was becoming to him wasn't really clear to Antonio until the movie was wrapping up. One co-worker who admits he didn't have a clue was Danny Aiello.
Antonio described in GQ
how the relationship started "little by little" "With Melanie, I liked her, and we were laughing together and spending some time and making jokes and talking about life between takes. And little by little, I was feeling more and more about this person. So we finish the movie, and we say, Well, bye! I was starting a new movie, and I thought this was probably an illusion that was going to go away. But it didn't. We started calling each other, then we saw each other, and I realized I was in love." [GQ] Although it seems to many he rushed pell-mell into the relationship, initially, Antonio was somewhat cautious. "I don't want to get married right away. I don't want to rush things. I want to take my time to see how my relationship with Melanie is going to work. If life is good to us, if we do something nice with our lives together, maybe people can say in three or four years, We're proud of you guys. You did it! Right now, it's nothing you can guarantee. We are moving our lives by feelings. And there isn't always the truth in feelings. But that's what I am now. There is no way that I can stop it or do anything else." [Movieline] "I am passionate and generous, and sometimes I am too passionate and too generous. I fall in love with the whole thing," he says, indicating his entire body. "I don't have shields around. I am very much naked to everything I do in my life. And sometimes that can be strange. Sometimes the thing is just leading me along, and suddenly it's 'Oh my God, am I the only one loving this thing!' "-be it movie projects or relationships. But in Melanie's case, I think I put everything on the table before I took a position. It was meditated." [GQ] While Antonio has always said that their falling in love was a gradual process, Melanie has admitted a number of times that for her at least it was "love at first sight". Only it was more like "third sight". On Entertainment Tonight, she claimed her only knowledge of him was from a photo of Antonio with some kids in Somalia. However, she had actually met Antonio two times before. She may have not recalled him, but Antonio certainly remembered her! Antonio met Melanie at the Oscars in 1989 and 1994. At the earlier ceremony, Banderas was introduced to her and he recalled for Cosmopolitan, November 1996, "She had on a white dress with pearls. " The second meeting was mentioned in Tan Solo un Actor. They shared a cigarette break along with Christian Slater. So why did these meetings register with Antonio but not with Melanie? Antonio was a fan of her movies, while Melanie had never seen any of Antonio's films.
At first I didn't think
our affair would last more than a few weeks, but we found such joy in being together that
we knew our relationship was going to last a long, long time. It was just very natural,
very warm, very intense. I felt I had to spend every moment with her and she felt the same
way about me. Sex was great, taking walks on the beach was great, everything was good.
[OK] VICTIMS OF PRESET OPINIONSLooking back two years and more, it's hard to really comprehend the malice that greeted Antonio and Melanie's relationship by both media and many fans when it was revealed in May, 1995. First they were treated as a joke, then an annoyance. What is clear now is that attitudes were set, and only time could soften these emotions. Antonio, prior to meeting Melanie, was a big fan of her work. This we know from an old interview.
However, the media
viewed Melanie somewhat differently than Antonio. Their "fun" had a definite
layer of malice beneath.: Let's just say here that it wasn't balanced, fair, unbiased reporting by any means. And somewhat surprising, the abuse was not limited to the tabloids. Steve Rubello in his Movieline article got off some one-liners such as "Maybe he'll bring off international stardom and a liaison with a woman you'd think twice about bringing home to mother. (Unless you were really, really pissed with mother.) " And Lucy Kaylin of GQ had her claws out when she dropped "How could this universal lust object fall for a bubbleheaded child of show business whose marital woes, rehab travails and cosmetic enhancements have proved a mother lode for the tabloids!" What certainly has made an impression (and initially annoyed the media) is their obvious devotion to each other. In the summer of 1995, Hello! reported that Melanie had already expressed her willingness to live with Antonio in Spain. They do activities together -- jogging, bicycling, fun at the beach and sailing besides doing the obligatory premieres and charity functions. Antonio respects Melanie's opinions and seeks her advice.
Was he seduced by a
larger-than-life American starlet, a perfect addition to his Hollywood success story?
|
