Antonio Banderas in Sitges

Guess who graced our shores again? It was Antonio Banderas.

The actor was here at the beginning of the month to shoot scenes for the upcoming second season of National Geographic ’s anthology series, Genius.

The new season, directed by Ken Biller, will be released in the fall of 2018 and is produced by director Ron Howard and Brian Grazer. The episode shot in Sitges is said to represent the beaches of the French Riviera, even though Picasso has spent time here in the past.

Locations around town included green screens for the special effects and art departments to transform Sitges today, into a Mediterranean locale in the first half of the 20^th century. The extras were dressed in period costumes reflecting the time.

Edifici Miramar

Pablo Picasso, although born in Malaga, lived most of his life in France. The time he spent in Paris was where he crossed paths with famous writers and artists including Coco Chanel, Henri Matisse, Marc Chagall, Gertrude Stein, Jean Cocteau, and Sergei Diaghilev, the Russian ballet impresario. 
See, The Countess and the Impresario. 

Banderas as Picasso

“The life story of Pablo Picasso has long since fascinated me and I have so much respect for this man, who also comes from my birthplace Málaga,” said the actor. “I am thrilled to work with National Geographic, Brian, Ron, Ken and the rest of the Genius team to tell an authentic story of one of the most innovative painters in the world.”

Pablo Picasso

Scribe Note:

The first season of the series was centered on the life of German theoretical physicist Albert Einstein who developed the theory of relativity. The actor who portrayed Einstein was actor, Geoffrey Rush ("The King's Speech", “Shine”). This first season was based on Walter Isaacson's critically acclaimed and best-selling book, Einstein: His Life and Universe.

Genius qualifies as the channel’s most-watched original series launch to date, says the network. In the U.S., viewership averaged 1.8 million total viewers, and on National Geographic channels around the world, the series was seen by some 45 million viewers.