Puss In Boots is back, and new film’s ‘dark’ storyline has struck a chord with Antonio Banderas
It’s almost two decades since cinema audiences were introduced to Antonio Banderas as Puss In Boots.
The deadly yet adorable animated cat first appeared in Shrek 2 in 2004 and went on to star in his own spin-off film in 2011.
Now, a sequel – Puss in Boots: The Last Wish – is in cinemas, and deals with themes not often associated with kids’ films.
Antonio Banderas and his daughter
The story explores mortality, death and why we should appreciate what we have as the character learns he has just one of his nine lives left.
Banderas told Sky News that when he first became aware of the film’s themes they seemed particularly timely.
“I was surprised because in a very strange way I found that the movie had to do with me more than I thought.
“The fact that I had a heart attack in 2017 and that made me kind of appreciate life in a different way,” he explained.
“I read the script and I said ‘Oh my god, I totally understand what my little cat is talking about and what the story is all about’.
“And then I also thought that it was done very elegantly, very carefully, because we know that our audiences are kids all around the world.
“But it’s true that during the COVID time kids all around the world also [had] a lot of questions because of the confinement and the lack of friends and the lack of schools, and everybody’s at home and what is happening out there.
“So it’s interesting, the movies that are aimed at kids are kind of reflecting about the beauty of life and how much we should praise that – and so I thought it was beautiful and very intelligently done.”
The Spanish actor, whose own daughter is an adult now, says he believes children are far more intuitive and resilient than they are often given credit for.
“We shouldn’t underestimate kids because they are very smart and they receive way more than we think they receive,” Banderas said.
“And they can’t structure that if we don’t help them… and [it] can have an effect later on in their lives.
“As a father I know that very early in their lives they see everything… So I think we freely can talk about these issues with them, knowing that if we do it carefully it can produce an effect on them that is positive.”
Puss In Boots: The Last Wish. Pic: Universal
‘Deeper and more suave’
Banderas said that when he was initially approached about the character 20 years ago, he was asked to make his own voice “thinner” to match the stature of the small animal.
But it was he who suggested that instead he went deeper and more suave, creating the voice that Puss is now known for.
“When you have the little body of this little cat, you put a voice like that and the contrast is what really made the comedy work,” Banderas explained.
“I remember the response that we had at the Cannes Film Festival … All the intellectuals from all around the world – from Korea, from Russia, from everywhere – just laughing.
“It was an extraordinary experience just to see the power of comedy and the power of this little animated character that we all created, because it’s a creation. I feel, actually, that it’s not only that I put the voice – what made me really proud is that I collaborated to create it.”
While the film has only just been released in the UK, it’s already been a huge success in the US and other territories, grossing more than £300m at the box office.
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio is also up for the Oscar. Pic: Netflix
Puss takes on Pinocchio
It’s also been a critical success, shortlisted at both the Baftas and the Oscars in the animated feature category.
Banderas said he was delighted when he learnt of the nomination for the Academy Award.
“Very happy, we have great competition to tell you the truth – Guillermo del Toro with Pinocchio – so this year it’s going to be a very tight competition, but we have our chances, I suppose.
“The first one was also nominated and it’s a beautiful recognition just to be there.
“But that’s it, you know, awards are what they are, I respect them very much, but I don’t want to take them very seriously.”
As well as the adoration from critics and audiences, it’s clear Banderas himself is fond of the small cat with the big personality.
He admits that while he loves the job – it’s probably not his most challenging.
“It has been for 20 years a beautiful experience and sometimes I get embarrassed saying that it was very easy!” he laughed.
“You can go to the studio, no makeup, just go there, basically just read the cards that they give you and then you can improvise and you can try whatever idea that you have. It’s kind of cool.”
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is out in cinemas in the UK now.
Despite The Who’s Quadrophenia being set over 60 years ago, Pete Townshend’s themes of identity, mental health, and modern masculinity are just as relevant today.
The album is having a renaissance as Pete Townshend’s Quadrophenia A Mod ballet is being brought to life via dance at Sadler’s Wells East, and Sky News has an exclusive first look.
As Townshend puts it, the album he wrote is “perfect” for the stage.
Pete Townshend
“My wife Rachel did the orchestration for me, and as soon as I heard it I said to her it would make a fabulous ballet and we never really let that go,” he tells Sky News.
“Heavy percussion, concussive sequences. They’re explosive moments. They’re also romantic movement moments.”
If you identify with the demographics of Millennial, Gen Y or Gen Z, you might not be familiar with The Who and Mod culture.
But in post-war Britain the Mods were a cultural phenomenon characterised by fashion, music, and of course, scooters. The young rebels were seen as a counter-culture to the establishment and The Who, with Roger Daltry’s lead vocals and Pete Townshend’s writing, were the soundtrack.
Quadrophenia the album is widely regarded as an essay on the British adolescent experience at the time, focusing on the life of fictional protagonist Jimmy – a young Mod struggling with his sanity, self-doubt, and alienation.
Townshend sets the rock opera in 1965 but thinks its themes of identity, mental health, and modern masculinity are just as relevant today.
He says: “The phobias and the restrictions and the unwritten laws about how young men should behave. The ground that they broke, that we broke because I was a part of it.
“Men were letting go of [the] wartime-related, uniform-related stance that if I wear this kind of outfit it makes me look like a man.”
Paris Fitzpatrick and Pete Townshend. Pic: Johan Persson
This struggle of modern masculinity and identity appears to be echoing today as manosphere influencers like Andrew Tate, incel culture, and Netflix’s Adolescence make headlines.
For dancer Paris Fitzpatrick, who takes on the lead role of Jimmy, the story resonates.
Paris Fitzpatrick, who takes on the lead role of Jimmy in the ballet
“I think there’s a connection massively and I think there may even be a little more revival in some way,” he tells Sky News.
“I love that myself. I love non-conforming to gender norms and typical masculinity; I think it’s great to challenge things.”
Despite the album being written before he was born, the dancer says he was familiar with the genre already.
“I actually did an art GCSE project about Mods and rockers and Quadrophenia,” he says.
“I think we’ll be able to bring it to new audiences and hopefully, maybe people will be inspired to to learn more about their music and the whole cultural movement of the early 60s.”
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In 1979, the album was adapted into a film directed by Franc Roddam starring Ray Winstone and Sting but Townshend admits because the film missed key points he is “not a big fan”.
“What it turned out to be in the movie was a story about culture, about social scenario and less about really the specifics of mental illness and how that affects young people,” he adds, also complimenting Roddam’s writing for the film.
Perhaps a testament to Pete Townshend’s creativity, Quadrophenia started as an album, was successfully adapted to film and now it will hit the stage as a contemporary ballet.
It appears that over six decades later Mod culture is still cool and their issues still relatable.
Quadrophenia, a Mod Ballet will tour to Plymouth Theatre Royal from 28 May to 1 June 2025, Edinburgh Festival Theatre from 10 to 14 June 2025 and the Mayflower, Southampton from 18 to 21 June 2025 before having its official opening at Sadler’s Wells Theatre, London on 24 June running to 13 July 2025 and then visiting The Lowry, Salford from 15 to 19 July 2025.
Russell Brand has been charged with rape and two counts of sexual assault between 1999 and 2005.
The Metropolitan Police say the 50-year-old comedian, actor and author has also been charged with one count of oral rape and one count of indecent assault.
The charges relate to four women.
He is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday 2 May.
Police have said Brand is accused of raping a woman in the Bournemouth area in 1999 and indecently assaulting a woman in the Westminster area of London in 2001.
He is also accused of orally raping and sexually assaulting a woman in Westminster in 2004.
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Ashna Hurynag discusses Russell Brand’s charges
The fourth charge alleges that a woman was sexually assaulted in Westminster between 2004 and 2005.
Police began investigating Brand, from Oxfordshire, in September 2023 after receiving a number of allegations.
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The comedian has denied the accusations and said he has “never engaged in non-consensual activity”.
He added in a video on X: “Of course, I am now going to have the opportunity to defend these charges in court, and I’m incredibly grateful for that.”
Metropolitan Police Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy, who is leading the investigation, said: “The women who have made reports continue to receive support from specially trained officers.
“The Met’s investigation remains open and detectives ask anyone who has been affected by this case, or anyone who has any information, to come forward and speak with police.”
Tom Cruise has paid tribute to Val Kilmer, wishing his Top Gun co-star “well on the next journey”.
Cruise, speaking at the CinemaCon film event in Las Vegas on Thursday, asked for a moment’s silence to reflect on the “wonderful” times shared with the star, whom he called a “dear friend”.
Kilmer, who died of pneumonia on Tuesday aged 65, rocketed to fame starring alongside Cruise in the 1986 blockbuster Top Gun, playing Tom ‘Iceman’ Kazansky, a rival fighter pilot to Cruise’s character Maverick.
Tom Cruise said ‘I wish you well on the next journey’. Pic: AP
Val Kilmer in 2017. Pic: AP
His last part was a cameo role in the 2022 blockbuster sequel Top Gun: Maverick.
Cruise, on stage at Caesars Palace on Thursday, said: “I’d like to honour a dear friend of mine, Val Kilmer. I can’t tell you how much I admire his work, how grateful and honoured I was when he joined Top Gun and came back later for Top Gun: Maverick.
“I think it would be really nice if we could have a moment together because he loved movies and he gave a lot to all of us. Just kind of think about all the wonderful times that we had with him.
“I wish you well on the next journey.”
The moment of silence followed a string of tributes from Hollywood figures including Cher, Francis Ford Coppola, Antonio Banderas and Michelle Monaghan.
Kilmer’s daughter Mercedes told the New York Times on Wednesday that the actor had died from pneumonia.
Tom Cruise at Caesars Palace on Thursday. Pic: AP
Diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014, Kilmer discussed his illness and recovery in his 2020 memoir Your Huckleberry and Amazon Prime documentary Val.
He underwent radiation and chemotherapy treatments for the disease and also had a tracheostomy which damaged his vocal cords and permanently gave him a raspy speaking voice.
Kilmer played Batman in the 1995 film Batman Forever and received critical acclaim for his portrayal of rock singer Jim Morrison in the 1991 movie The Doors.
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He also starred in True Romance and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, as well as playing criminal Chris Shiherlis in Michael Mann’s 1995 movie Heat and Doc Holliday in the 1993 film Tombstone.
In 1988 he married British actress Joanne Whalley, whom he met while working on fantasy adventure Willow.
The couple had two children before divorcing in 1996.
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