Antonio Banderas Returns to Spain After Heart Attack: “I Was Not Supposed to Be in Malibu”

Antonio Banderas returned to Málaga, Spain, after a 2017 heart attack, which served as an “unbelievably clear reminder” of what was important to him. Though Hollywood had its virtues, Banderas tells PEOPLE he felt a certain ache for his hometown.

The Mask of Zorro actor, 65, sat down with PEOPLE ahead of the debut of his new film Tony and reflected on his major move back to Spain from the United Statesback to Spain. “Those were beautiful, exciting years. But I always had this sense of provisionality that it was not going to last my whole life,” Banderas said of his time in Los Angeles. “I knew that Málaga was there, my hometown. I was not supposed to be in Malibu, but in Málaga”.

Banderas called his heart attack “the best thing that ever happened in my life”. He added, “It was like somebody put glasses on me so I could see the reality that I didn’t see before. I was just too worried about stupid things. We sometimes forget that we are going to die… The only thing that I am interested in now is in the experience of living”.

Now living in Málaga with his longtime girlfriend Nicole Kimpel, Banderas runs Teatro del Soho, a not-for-profit theatre in the city . He told PEOPLE, “I have never been so happy. It keeps me in touch with my roots, my neighbourhood, my people”. He remains close with ex-wife Melanie Griffith, calling her “one of my best friends”.