Antonio Banderas reveals how Anthony Hopkins' pep talk helped him become 'Zorro'

Antonio Banderas revealed veteran actor Anthony Hopkins once gave him a pep talk to help him prepare for a scene in The Mask of Zorro.

During the Couch Surfing on People TV, the 57-year-old actor, who currently plays Pablo Picasso on National Geographic's Genius series, recalled his experience of working with Hopkins on the film.

Banderas said there was a day when he was struggling with his lines and Hopkins, 80, noticed it.

"He said, 'Come with me'. There was a big mirror. 'What do you see?' he asked me," he recalled.

Banderas answered "Me". He said, however, Hopkins saw someone else in the mirror.

"He said, 'No, you see Zorro. You don't have to do anything. Just walk, man. Just say the lines. Just throw them away. You're Zorro'," he remembered the Hollywood veteran as saying.

"(Piece of) advices like that from a man who knows, practically knows, everything was great. It was a great time," Banderas added.

Directed by Martin Campbell, The Mask of Zorro also featured Catherine Zeta-Jones and released in 1998.