Cast
Antonio Banderas as Alejandro Murrieta / Zorro:Banderas was paid $5 million for the role. The character of Alejandro Murrieta was conceived as the fictional brother of the real-life Joaquin Murrieta, making the character either Mexican or Chilean. To prepare for his role, Banderas practiced with the Olympic fencing team in Spain for four months, before studying additional fencing and swordsmanship with Anthony Hopkins and Catherine Zeta-Jones. The three were trained by Bob Anderson during pre-production in Mexico, spending 10 hours a day for two months specifically on fight scenes from the film. "We used to call him Grumpy Bob on the set, he was such a perfectionist," director Martin Campbell reflected. "He was incredibly inventive, and also refused to treat any of the actors as stars. They would complain about the intensity of the training, but having worked with him there's nobody I'd rather use." During interviews for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Anderson rated Banderas the best natural talent with whom he had worked. Before Banderas was chosen for the role, Benicio Del Toro, Andy García, Marc Anthony, Joaquim de Almeida, and Chayanne were considered.
José María de Tavira portrays a young Alejandro Murrieta.
Anthony Hopkins as Don Diego de la Vega / Zorro:Hopkins was cast in December 1996, one month before filming began. Hopkins, known for his dramatic acting, took up the role because of his enthusiasm to be in an action film. For the role of Diego de la Vega, actors Sean Connery and Raúl Juliá, who died before he could take the role, were also considered.
Catherine Zeta-Jones as Elena Montero:The actress signed on in November 1996, when Spielberg saw her performance in the Titanic miniseries and recommended her to Campbell. Despite being a Welsh actress portraying a Spanish character, Zeta-Jones discovered similarities between her "volatile" Celtic temper and the Latin temperament of Eléna. Izabella Scorupco, who worked with Campbell on GoldenEye, Judith Godrèche, Salma Hayek, Shakira, and Jennifer Lopez screen tested for the part. Zeta-Jones credits The Mask of Zorro as her breakthrough in entering A-list recognition.
María and Mónica Fernández Cruz portray Elena de la Vega (infant).
Stuart Wilson as Don Rafael Montero:Armand Assante had initially been cast in the role, but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts with The Odyssey. Stuart Wilson, whom Campbell previously had directed in No Escape, was cast in Assante's place four months after. Actors Sam Shepard, Lance Henriksen, Edward James Olmos, Scott Glenn, and Giancarlo Giannini were also considered for the role.
Matt Letscher as Captain Harrison Love
Tony Amendola as Don Luiz
Pedro Armendáriz Jr. as Don Pedro
Victor Rivers as Joaquin Murrieta
Diego Sieres as young Joaquín
L. Q. Jones as Three-fingered Jack: Alejandro and Joaquin's partner, he was captured and later killed by Harrison Love at the mine.
Julieta Rosen as Esperanza De La Vega: Don Diego's beloved wife and Elena's mother
Other actors in the film include William Marquez as Fray Felipe, Maury Chaykin as a prison warden, Jose Perez as the bumbling Corporal Garcia (a character originating in the 1950s American TV series), Humberto Elizondo as Don Julio, Fernando Becerril as Don Sergio, and Vanessa Bauche as an Indio girl. Joaquim de Almeida filmed scenes as Antonio López de Santa Anna, but his role was cut from the final film.
