After featuring Albert Einstein last year, National Geographic’s anthology series Genius spotlights the life of Spanish painter Pablo Picasso. Like the first season Genius: Picasso splits the narrative between the painter’s early years in Spain, in which he is portrayed by Alex Ross, and his later life in Paris where Antonio Banderas takes over acting duties. The three-time Golden Globe nominee spoke to the HFPA’s Gabriel Lerman and Mirai Konishi about playing his celebrated countryman (also a fellow citizen of Malaga), a role which he has come close to taking several times before.