For Dakota Johnson, he was never “Antonio” or “my stepfather”: from childhood, she turned him into her “Paponio” 🥹.
Dakota was just 6 years old when her mother, Melanie Griffith, married Antonio Banderas. His arrival meant much more than having a new partner for her mother: over the years, he became a true father figure to her.
Dakota herself spoke about that bond in 2019, when she presented an award to Banderas. She recalled that Antonio came into her family bringing “an incredibly bright light”, along with a new world of creativity and culture and, later, her sister Stella.
She also said that Banderas loved Melanie, her, and her siblings intensely, and that affection ultimately transformed their lives. That is why she summed up those years in a very simple way: when her mother married him, she felt that she had gained “an extra dad”.
Antonio and Melanie divorced in 2015, but their separation did not end the bond he had built with Dakota. He stopped being officially her stepfather, but he never stopped being her “Paponio”.