Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith have remained close friends in the decade after their divorce.

“If not my best friend, [Melanie is] one of my best friends,” Banderas, 65, told People about his ex-wife, 68, in an interview published Thursday, August 6. “When I go to Los Angeles, we get together anyway; we [have] a lot of fun. We laugh and … it’s a very healthy thing, and it was very healthy for our kids.”

Banderas and Griffith were married from 1996 to 2014. They share daughter Stella, 29. (Griffith is also mom of sons Jesse, 43, and Alexander, 40, as well as daughter Dakota, 36, from previous relationships.)

Even as a divorced couple, Banderas and Griffith always worked to remain amicable for their blended family’s sake.

“But the thing is that, when we were as [a] couple [or] when we separated, we were always very sincere,” the Tony actor told the outlet. “We came out of our relationship in a nice way that was very important for [the kids] and for us.”

According to Banderas, Griffith is “an unbelievable mother” and their brood is “blossoming and becoming good people” into adulthood.

Both before and after his divorce, Banderas has been especially close to Dakota, Griffith’s daughter with actor Don Johnson.

“I grew up in a family that was so big, and I just believe in the saying ‘Blood is thicker than water,’” Dakota told Bustle in a 2024 profile. “The actual saying is ‘The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb,’ which means that the connections with people you choose are more solid than the connections to the people you’re actually born to. Equally as important, if not more.”

She continued at the time, “I have four brothers and two sisters, and my two sisters are not blood-related to each other, but they are sisters and they call each other sisters and they are always together. And my two older brothers are not blood-related to each other, and they are brothers.”

Dakota further stressed that their unit will always “be a family” to her siblings regardless of divorce.

“It’s really real, and most of us are artists. Even in my adult life and my new family, most of us are artists. Even the kids, they’re extraordinarily talented people,” she stated. “You just are dealing with complex people. You grow and you embrace and you say, ‘F*** you and f*** off,’ and then, ‘I love you, come back.’ I think because I grew up in it, it’s come more naturally, but I wouldn’t have it any other way really. I really wouldn’t. I love it.”