Paddington In Peru: Olivia Colman and Antonio Banderas on joining the franchise and why NZ has world-class film talent

The third film in the Paddington franchise, Paddington In Peru sees its famous titular character (voiced by Ben Whishaw) return to his homeland.

Drawing influences from Werner Herzog’s films Fitzcarraldo and Aguirre, The Wrath Of God, the sequel rounds out its star-studded cast with some new additions, including A-listers Olivia Colman and Antonio Banderas.

They sat down with Herald contributor George Fenwick in London to discuss everything from the Amazonian adventure to their connection with Aotearoa.

Though Antonio Banderas, Olivia Colman and I have met at a London hotel to discuss their scene-stealing roles in Paddington in Peru, the third instalment in the Paddington film series.

But both actors want to talk about New Zealand.

Colman specifically; her husband Ed Sinclair, a British screenwriter with whom she has three children, grew up in Auckland.

“He came to the UK when he was 11. Kohimarama was his nursery school,” she says.

(I explain that Kohimarama is a lovely harbourside suburb of Auckland.)

“Auckland, of course. I can’t believe I remembered Kohimarama. His childhood photos are really annoying compared to mine.”

Colman and Banderas have also both worked with Kiwis in the film and television industry, and are effusive about their experiences.

Olivia Colman and Antonio Banderas attend the world premiere of Paddington In Peru in London, England. Photo / Getty Images

“I just worked with Joe and Sarah from Weta, who made a Wicker Man for a film we just did, and it is exquisite. I mean, the craftsmanship - it’s like they’ve been secretly studying for 20 years longer than the rest of the world.

“It’s incredible what they do, and they’re so nice.”

Banderas, meanwhile, fondly remembers the hours he had to sit in the makeup chair to transform into Pablo Picasso for the second season of Genius, owing to the group of New Zealand artists who took care of him.

“They did all of Lord of the Rings, and they are so good,” says the Spanish actor. “I had calls at two o’clock 2am in the morning .... to get in the chair for three to five hours, and they were so nice in how they took care of me…

“They were phenomenal. I just loved them.”

(Davina Lamont, the New Zealand artist who led the team, was Emmy-nominated for her work.)

Colman and Banderas are new to the Paddington franchise, joining the third instalment as Paddington brings his adopted family, the Browns, back to his home of Peru in search of his missing Aunt Lucy.

Paddington Bear and the Brown family find themselves in Peru for the latest sequel. Photo / © Studiocanal SAS, © Peter Mountain

Colman plays The Reverend Mother, a cheery, musical nun who runs the retirement home from which Lucy has gone missing, and Banderas is Hunter Cabot, the charming riverboat captain who guides the Browns on their search into the Amazon.

Both characters, however, may have hidden agendas, making Paddington’s return to Peru more perilous than the Browns anticipated.

Colman was thrilled to join the world of a character she has loved since childhood.

“I grew up with Paddington,” says the Oscar winner.

“I had a Paddington, I had a duffel coat, and particularly the television series I really remember, with [narrator] Michael Hordern.

“And then it came to a whole new generation with the films.

“If you’re looking for a role model, you can’t go wrong with Paddington, who is never aggressive, never angry,” she continues.

“If you’re kind and patient, it’s easier to go through life, and people will appreciate that.”

Olivia Colman plays The Reverend Mother in Paddington in Peru. Photo / © Studiocanal SAS, © Peter Mountain

Though the third instalment is set largely in Peru, the series overall acts as a love letter to London, and particularly the kindness Paddington finds in the big city.

In the first film, he is welcomed to the city by the Brown family and embraced by their neighbourhood community, who come to love him over the next few films.

For Banderas and Colman, his experience rings true of their time in London.

“I find major cities in most of the world, where people are cheek-by-jowl, squashed together, there is a kindness, and an, ‘Okay, we’re in this together. We’ll look out for each other’,” says Colman.

“I lived in London for 20-something years, and I knew all my neighbours. People really did look out for each other.

“I’m from the countryside, and I’ve moved back to the countryside, and there is more suspicion, often with what they don’t know, what they don’t see every day.

“People in cities are very good about living close to each other, and Paddington does show that.”

Banderas agrees. Before he moved to London, he was sold an image of “very uptight people that don’t care about you, but it’s not true in London,” he says.

“Specifically, I really love the [British] sense of humour. A sense of human understanding and irony, a wink of an eye to things that are happening every day, the British have that.”

Given Colman spends almost the entire film in a nun costume, the actress relished the physical comedy of donning the habit.

Colman, who grew up with Paddington, was thrilled to join the franchise. Photo / © Studiocanal SAS, © Peter Mountain

“You instantly feel quite funny,” she says.

“Nuns, I’m hoping, have a real giggle every day because they look funny. I don’t want to offend any nuns, [but] they’re not that comfortable. They’re a bit itchy, they’re quite heavy, and it’s quite restrictive.”

Banderas, like in Genius, faced long hours in the makeup chair on Paddington in Peru, this time to transform into a variety of different additional characters.

They are all manifestations of Hunter Cabot’s ancestors who disappeared while pursuing a mythical treasure in the Peruvian rainforest, a search Paddington and the Brown family are inevitably drawn into.

Though he admits each laborious transformation tested his patience, Banderas is determined not to complain.

“I feel sometimes as an actor that I don’t have the right to complain too much, because when I see the work of other people in the world, I feel bad if I complain,” he says.

Antonio Banderas plays Hunter Cabot. Photo / © Studiocanal SAS, © Peter Mountain

“I live a beautiful life. They pay me a lot of money to do what I do. I think I should shut the heck up and just work, and try to make my work in the most honest and dignified way.”

Colman concurs. “We’re lucky that we found what we love doing,” she says.

“Some people are still wondering, what is their thing? I knew quite young that I wanted to do this and then that I’m actually working in it - I’ve got so many friends who are much better than me who can’t get the work. So, you know, hooray.”

In the meantime, both stars have considered the potential comedy in a Paddington crossover with Banderas’ iconic Shrek character, Puss in Boots.

“It would not be immediate love,” says Banderas.

“Puss is more of an edgy character that gets out of the box sometimes. At the end, I think they would recognise, ‘Okay, you’re fine’.”

Colman adds: “We’ve talked about the idea of a buddy road movie with those two a couple of times.”

Banderas laughs. “I imagine Paddington talking very intelligently and soft to Puss in Boots, and then little by little, Puss is looking at him and saying, ‘This guy is quite interesting’.”

Paddington in Peru is in New Zealand cinemas January 1, 2025.