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PEOPLE & ARTS Tuesday 24 april 2018
Antonio Banderas plays Picasso, a

complex hometown hero, in 'Genius'

By LYNN ELBER
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Anto-
nio Banderas, who shares
his birthplace with Pablo
Picasso, decided it finally
was time to portray his
hometown hero. But he
leaves it to viewers of Na-
tional Geographic's drama
series "Genius: Picasso" to
In this April 11, 2018 file photo, actor Dwayne Johnson poses for reconcile the artist's revela-
photographers at the premiere of the "Rampage," in London. tory work with his treatment
Associated Press of the women who helped
inspire it.
Admiring teen's The actor had passed on
two other chances to play
courage, Dwayne Picasso, intimidated by the
prospect of playing the
man he calls a "huge fig-
Johnson declines ure" from their shared birth-
place of Malaga, Spain.
Learning more about the
prom invite titan of 20th-century paint-
ing, who died in 1973 at
age 91, made the mature
Banderas cautious for oth-
er reasons.
STILLWATER, Minn. (AP) — Johnson's recorded re- "I started realizing he was
An eastern Minnesota teen sponse was played over not just complicated but
who asked her celebrity the school intercom Friday. mysterious, because of This April 20, 2018 photo shows actor Antonio Banderas, who
crush Dwayne "The Rock" A Warner Bros. representa- what he did as an art- stars as Pablo Picasso in the second season of the National
Johnson to prom got a tive contacted school of- ist and because of his life. Geographic series "Genius," in New York. The second season
huge surprise when he ac- ficials Thursday about the There were so many opin- premieres on April 24.
tually responded. surprise message, said Ca- ions of him, some of them Associated Press
Stillwater Area High School rissa Keister, a spokeswom- good and some bad, his
Senior Katie Kelzenberg an for the district. behavior with art and with role," Howard said. "He put Women in His Life for Art."
asked the actor to "Rock" Johnson said he admires women and his friends," in an incredible amount of Picasso married second
it with her at the school's Kelzenberg's courage, but Banderas said. work to bring the artist to wife Jacqueline Roque
May 5 prom in a Twitter vid- that he won't be able to at- But he was impressed by life on-screen and I think he when he was 79 and she
eo posted last week, The tend prom because he will the first season of "Genius" has delivered an excep- was 27, and they remained
Pioneer Press reported . The be in Hawaii filming "Jungle from executive produc- tional performance that together until his death,
self-proclaimed fan was Cruise." ers Ron Howard and Brian we're all very proud of." with Roque his inspiration
dressed like The Rock in Instead, Johnson rented Grazer, with Geoffrey Rush A convincingly prosthetics- for that prolific final period.
the video, sporting a black out a nearby movie theater playing Albert Einstein, and aged Banderas plays Pi- Banderas said that much of
turtleneck, jeans, a gold on Saturday for Kelzenberg decided this was the time casso in his later years, with Picasso's work was deeply
necklace and fanny pack. and more than 230 friends to take Picasso's complex Alex Rich as the youthful intertwined with the wom-
She also showed off her and family to watch his story and paintbrushes in artist. Those co-starring as en who shared his life.
collection of Johnson-relat- latest movie, "Rampage." hand, literally. Picasso's lovers and muses "When he was upset with
ed merchandise, including Johnson even covered the "I wanted to be familiar are Samantha Colley as Dora Maar, for example,
a pillow, T-shirts and an ac- cost of snacks and drinks with all the tools, brushes photographer Dora Maar; you could tell how he
tion figure. for the theater. and oils and acrylics and Poppy Delevingne as Ma- painted her. He kind of
"I couldn't believe it. I was everything. I bought can- rie-Therese Walter, and made her a monster," he
so surprised," Kelzenberg vasses and starting paint- Clemence Poesy as the said. "Without those wom-
said. "I just kept thinking, ing" to prepare for the artist Francoise Gilot, now en around him, the pieces
'He saw me! He knows who role, he said, although he 96, who left him after a de- of Picasso, it would be a
I am!'" counts himself only a dedi- cade and two children. completely different story."
Kelzenberg said she be- cated novice. It was Gilot who, in her His relationships didn't al-
came a fan of Johnson's Howard said he had no res- 1964 memoir, quoted Pi- ways start or stop cleanly,
five years ago. Her favor- ervations that Banderas the casso as saying, "For me, the actor said, and there
ite movies of his include actor, if not painter, was up there are only two kinds of was "something of them
"Central Intelligence" and to the task in the 10-part se- women — goddesses and that always was kept in the
"Jumanji: Welcome to the ries that debuts 9 p.m. EDT doormats." A Paris Review soul of Picasso."
Jungle." Tuesday. column about a 2017 ex- The artist's colleagues had
"I like that he interacts with "It took us a while to settle hibition of Picasso artwork reason to be wary of his
his fans so well," she said. on Picasso as the next 'Ge- and memorabilia related brilliance: They would hide
"He takes time out of his nius,' but once we did An- to his daughter Maya (born their own works from him
day to connect with them." tonio's name was immedi- to mistress Walter during his because they knew he
Kelzenberg plans to go to ately thrown into the mix, marriage to first wife Olga could improve on whatev-
prom with friends.q and everyone agreed he Khokhlova) was headlined: er style he saw, Banderas
would be perfect for the "How Picasso Bled the said. q