Melanie’s first visit to the rehab clinic was not only supported by Mike Nichols, who firmly suggest she checks in, but also by her first love. Don Johnson had been five years sober when Melanie was swirling through the abyss of her marriage with Steven Bauer. Alone and afraid, she was losing control of her life.
It was the first time she had been single since she moved in with Johnson at 14. All this happened during her most successful period, right in the middle of ‘Working Girl’. Emerging from the clinic, she ran back into Don’s arms and divorced Bauer.
The Early 2000s Slump
'Shade' and 'The Night We Called It a Day' were not the only losers. 'Crazy in Alabama' also fell flat. The TV series 'Me & George' (1998) didn’t even make it to television. And, in 2000, 'Cecil B. DeMented' and 'Forever Lulu' nosedived at the box office.
Her performance in these two independent films earned her a nomination for a Golden Raspberry Award for worst actress. Her career took a solid hit, as did her reputation as an actress. Finding roles became so difficult that she turned to Broadway.
Opening Up About Substance Dependency
“I was never loved unconditionally. The drink gives you a feeling, a physical sensation . . . a buzz inside your body that takes the place of something you should have when you were a child,” Melanie told Vanity Fair in a 1989 interview. She discussed with the magazine why she didn’t get help and turned to substances instead.
She also revealed that she was introduced to drinking as a child. At 10 years of age, she would frequently drink wine. It was “like a soft drink. I was medicating myself so I could escape my pain and insecurities.”
A New Lease on Life
Recovery worked! Even though she had struggled her entire life with substances, she was finally able to get sober and face her life without the consistent conflict she had with herself. For the first time, she was seeing life through a lens of sobriety. Overcoming dependency on drinks opened up a new lease on life.
Though she would stumble again with recovery, for the time being, she was able to spend quality time with her kids, and they got to know her joyfully. Being a better mother and fulfilling her role was as rewarding as success at work.
A New Man on Her Arm
When Melanie met Antonio Banderas on the set of 'Two Much' (1996), it was love at first sight, with a quirky introduction. Melanie said, “He asked me how old I was. That was the first thing he said to me.” She adored him because he was funny like that. Antonio spotted her six years earlier saying, “I saw this beautiful woman with a cream dress, with pearls.” When they finally met, the couple fell passionately in love. Melanie called it quits with Don, while Antonio’s divorce with his wife in Spain was pending.
“It was very fast and very compulsive, but at the same time we were tied at the time,” Antonio said. “We tried as much as we could to be respectful.” They married in London that same year. Their daughter, Stella, arrived a few months after the wedding. Melanie had found her man. She wore his name like a badge. “Antonio” was inked inside of a heart and tattooed on her upper right arm. He would give Mel one of her longest and most stable relationships.