Antonio Banderas Changed Melanie Griffith’s Kids’ Lives ‘Forever’ Following Her 3 Failed Marriages
No one could have imagined the impact Antonio Banderas would have on his five-year-old stepdaughter Dakota Johnson and her siblings when he married Melanie Griffith in 1996.
Melanie Griffith, a single mother to two young children in severe need of a father role in 1995, struggled with substance misuse, had three divorces, and was a single mother to two young children in desperate need of a father figure.
Her life was anything but perfect until she met Antonio Banderas on the set of “Two Much,” and the actor proved to be the answer to her prayers.
DON JOHNSON AND GRIFFITH’S RELATIONSHIP
Melanie Griffith played alongside her mother, Tippi Hedren, in the 1972 film “The Harrad Experiment.”
While waiting for a set up in the stairway of an Anheuser-Busch Estate during filming, 14-year-old Griffith encountered 20-year-old Don Johnson. When the two began talking, Griffith was immediately drawn to Johnson’s attractiveness.
Griffith and Johnson moved in together when she was 15 years old. They got engaged three years later, on her 18th birthday. Following that, they flew to Las Vegas and married.
Unfortunately, their marriage did not last long, and they divorced after only six months of marriage. Following that, Griffith dated actor Ryan O’Neal for a spell before marrying Steven Baur, with whom she co-starred in the film “She’s in the Army Now.”
Griffith and Bauer welcomed their son Alexander Griffith Bauer after their wedding. Unfortunately, the couple split in 1989. Don, on the other hand, dated actress Patti D’Arbanville after divorcing Griffith.
Jesse Johnson, the couple’s son, was born later. Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson remarried in June 1989, years after their first marriage and subsequent divorce.
Their second wedding ceremony took place at their Aspen ranch. Jesse Johnson and Alexander Griffith Bauer, the couple’s kids from prior relationships, served as ring bearers for the wedding.
Griffith added that their bond remained strong even though they were apart for a long after tying the knot for the second time.
She stated, ” “We’d always been friends, and we’d always been in touch. This link had always existed. I’m at a loss for words. It’s almost as though they’ve always been soulmates. I didn’t always want things to be like that, and I didn’t always want to love him.”
The couple welcomed their daughter Dakota Johnson after remarrying, and it appeared that they were getting it right. Unfortunately, their relationship deteriorated after five years, and they divorced. In 1994, their divorce was formalized.
STRUGGLES IN DAKOTA JOHNSON’S CHILDHOOD
During their second marriage, Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson struggled with substance misuse, which had an impact on their daughter Dakota. Griffith went to rehab in 1998 and 2000 after drinking heavily and using cocaine.
Despite her difficulties, Griffith maintained that she was still a functioning mother. She never passed out on the floor and spent most of her time caring for her children.
Don, on the other hand, struggled with painkiller and alcohol addictions. For a while, he was in and out of treatment. He was also known for his proclivity for women.
Dakota struggled to deal with the media’s attention on the family as a result of their celebrity. She was also a wayward and rambunctious child.
Dakota was also transferred from one school to another due to her parents’ frequent moves. She was homeschooled at one point. Dakota was unable to learn everything she could have if she had been in a stable environment.
She was sent to a Catholic boarding school as a teenager to gain some stability and discipline, but she was constantly bullied by her classmates.
Dakota got depressed at school and became involved in a variety of misbehaviors, including getting a tattoo on her neck and bicep. Dakota had to go to therapy and seek treatment after being exposed to and coping with adult concerns at a young age.
ANTONIO BANDERAS ACQUIRES THE POSITION OF STEPDAD.
Melanie Griffith has long been a favorite of Antonio Banderas, who first saw her in “Gone Girl” before meeting her on the red carpet at the Oscars.
Following that, Griffith and Banderas featured together in the 1995 comedy “Two Much.” They were both unhappy in their marriages at the time, and they could see it in one another.
Griffith was hilarious, charming, intelligent, generous, and attractive, and Banderas adored her. Following the release of the film, the co-stars remained in contact and eventually declared their affections for one another.
Their daughter Stella was born shortly after the couple married in 1996. For the first time, Banderas became a father and stepfather to Dakota Johnson and Alexander Bauer.
The kids had a hard time accepting him, according to the actor, because they didn’t know how long he would stay with their mother Griffith.
The kids warmed up to him after they knew he was staying. He also realized the need of consistency for the children’s development, and within a year, they acknowledged Banderas as their father.
In addition, his parenting approach differed from Griffith’s. The children confided in him things that they would not tell their mother. Griffith was the disciplinarian, while he was the philosopher.
BANDERAS GET TRIBUTED BY DAKOTA JOHNSON
Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith were married for over two decades before divorcing in 2015. Dakota presented Antonio Banderas with the Hollywood Actor Award for his performance in “Pain and Glory” at the Hollywood Film Awards.
Dakota, who rose to fame as a result of her breathtaking performance in “Fifty Shades Of Grey” and its sequels, praised Banderas for his influence on her as a child.
She stated, ” “I also received a bonus father, who I’ve come to understand is one of the most influential persons in my life.
My mother married a man when I was six years old, and he brought into our family an amazingly bright light, a whole new universe of creativity and culture, and one remarkably magical little sister.”
Banderas was so vibrant and amusing, Dakota recalled, that he loved her, her mother, and her siblings so fiercely and loudly that he transformed their lives forever.
She commended him with instilling in her the values of genuine devotion and discipline. She has also recognized Banderas’ incredible talent as an actor, director, writer, and singer as a grown woman.
Banderas previously revealed that he met Dakota when she was five years old, and the two had bonded through the years.
He considers her to be his daughter, and he will always adore her.
Dakota means a lot to him, he said, and is one of the reasons his marriage to Melanie Griffith was worthwhile. Despite his divorce from Griffith, the Spanish actor stated that their connection was still alive. He stated, ”
“We’ll keep running into each other. We’ll keep going. The family is not, in any way, dead.”
He further admitted that, despite the fact that Griffith is no longer his wife, they are still great friends. He adores her and will do so till the day he passes away.
Melanie Griffith has also expressed her excitement at the prospect of starting a family with Banderas after two divorces.
Griffith is definitely friendly with her ex-husbands, and she has shown her love for them in the past. She stated, ”
“I adore all of my husbands, all three of them, and we’re all extremely close,” she says.
Griffith has subsequently stated that she has no desire to remarry, but that she would like to resume her acting career and begin booking movie roles.