Antonio Banderas says that having a heart attack was "the best thing to ever happen to him".
The Oscar-nominated actor's brush with death was also part of the inspiration behind his latest film Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, which explores the tricky subject of mortality.
The film, which is the fifth movie to feature the sword brandishing feline, sees Puss on the last of his nine lives.
However, Antonio, 62, was close to death himself after he had a heart attack.
But the Spanish native said that it made him look at his life "from a different point of view."
Speaking to Radio Times, he said: "Well, I had a heart attack six years ago.
"It probably was one of the best things that happened in my life. It was like putting glasses on and seeing what was important."
"Since my heart attack, I’m looking only for the pleasure of acting. That’s it. I don’t care about anything else. For me, life starts when somebody says, "Action!" – or when the curtain comes up."
He was rushed to hospital in 2017 after experiencing chest pains while he was exercising.
The actor said that his girlfriend Nicole Kimpel, 40, saved his life by giving him an aspirin which she had initially got him to help his headaches.
Speaking on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Antonio recalled the terrifying moment: "'She bought this aspirin, which is the only thing that she found and she found the maximum one, I think it was five milligrams.
"The next morning, when I started having the symptoms and I clearly knew what was going on, she put one of those aspirins inside of my tongue and that saved my life.
"So I had a second chance, and some stuff changed in my life, since then."
He has since then quit smoking, which he said was "one of the most stupid things he has ever done".
When he was asked whether his experience inspired the movie, which deals with the subject of death, he said that while it was never discussed, it was "probably referring" to it.
Antonio said that his character in Shrek was supposed to be a mock Zorro, but the cat was such a hit that he has become famous in his own right.
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Turning to what he feels passionate about as an actor, Antonio said that he wants to see cinema saved.
He explained that in Spain, there are cities where there isn't one cinema as people are choosing to watch movies at home.
Antonio said that the pandemic saw streaming platforms "take over" which he said was "scary".
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