Banderas plays his boyhood hero

Spanish actor Antonio Banderas takes on the role of Pablo Picasso, whose house in Malaga he used to walk past as a child

Antonio Banderas is Pablo Picasso at age 67 in National Geographic's Genius, an anthology series that focuses on the artist in its second season.
Antonio Banderas is Pablo Picasso at age 67 in National Geographic's Genius, an anthology series that focuses on the artist in its second season. PHOTO: NYTIMES
New: Gift this subscriber-only story to your friends and family

ETYEK (Hungary) • By the time Antonio Banderas shaved off his eyebrows and hair to play Pablo Picasso - his lifelong hero - he had already been asked to portray Picasso twice. "Oh, yes," he said. "Twice before."

He sat in a director's chair. On his nose, cheeks and chin, he wore silicone prosthetics for the ways he did not resemble Picasso: to thin out his featherbed lips, to make his nose fleshier and his jowls jowlier, to mask his beautiful face.

Already a subscriber? 

Read the full story and more at $9.90/month

Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month

Unlock these benefits

  • All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com

  • Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device

  • E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on April 23, 2018, with the headline Banderas plays his boyhood hero. Subscribe