Ricky Martin doesn't know why it took him so long to return to acting. Maybe he was waiting for the right story to tell after his Emmy-nominated role as Versace's partner Antonio D'Amico in “The Assassination of Gianni Versace” in 2018. Maybe Hollywood was still struggling to see him beyond the sexuality of him.
Whatever the reason, the Puerto Rican superstar hopes her starring role in Apple TV+'s “Palm Royale,” which stars her own comedy royalty Carol Burnett and future royals Kristen Wiig and Alison Janney, marks the beginning of a new chapter in his career. In the new comedy series set in the '60s, Martin plays Robert Diaz, a Korean War veteran who works as an eagle-eyed clerk at the show's exclusive country club and caretaker for the socialite doyenne. by Burnett, Norma Dellacorte.
Although he initially presented himself as a cautious guardian of the club that Wiig's character, Maxine, tries to join, Robert has his own history of feeling like an outsider. Martin skillfully portrays Robert's emotional and sexual repression, which stems from the rejection he experienced from his family in Puerto Rico and the tragic loss of a lover who served with him in the war. “He doesn't want to fall in love with anyone because whoever he falls in love with gets hurt or dies,” Martin says in a recent video call.
All of these details are gradually revealed throughout the 10-episode first season, which was designed. “Unfortunately, there's a lot of homophobia out there, and I think it was written in a way like, 'Let's do it.' [the audience] Fall in love with him so that when he's completely vulnerable and open about who he really is, oh my God, we can't hate him,'” Martin says. “His nature of him is so pure and innocent at the same time, and he has been seriously injured. I think it was so wonderful that it took us seven episodes to see more of its colors.”
Martin remembers the first time, at age 15, that he stood in front of a camera and heard a director call “action,” but even all these years later, he still considers himself new to the craft. “I'm just understanding that as an actor, you don't lie and you just become that person.”
Speaking vividly about tapping into the fear and vulnerability Robert experiences when speaking to his new friends in “Palm Royale,” he has a tendency to speak in the first person. “I think I'm more comfortable with myself and that level of maturity allows me to tell more stories more honestly,” he says.
Growing up in Puerto Rico, Martin described himself as a movie buff. He counts “The Breakfast Club,” “Ferris Bueller's Day Off” and “About Last Night” among his favorite coming-of-age stories of all time. However, the first film that marked him was “Saturday Night Fever.” (“I didn't know what it was, but I felt things when I saw John Travolta on camera. I think he was my first crush,” he says with a boyish smile.) As he grew up, he was drawn to the intensity of “The Godfather,” “Scarface” and “Star Wars,” a fictional universe he still hopes to join one day. In the '90s, he became obsessed with everything related to Pedro Almodóvar.
The summer before starting his freshman year at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in 1990, Martin went to Mexico to see a play produced by a friend, who told him to stay and replace one of the actors in musical production. Having spent most of his adolescence performing as one-fifth of the boy band Menudo, Martin accepted the offer, thinking that he could always return to school one day. (He didn't.) That stage role eventually led to Martin's first roles on Mexican television and his first solo record deal, which, in turn, led to him being cast as the delightfully long-haired Miguel Morez. and often shirtless, in “General Hospital.”
It was during her time on the ABC daytime soap opera that Martin began to consider her own sexuality after falling in love with a man (and breaking his heart) for the first time. He credits executive producer Wendy Riche and co-star Lilly Melgar, in particular, for protecting him and helping him find his way as an actor in a new language.
“I remember having to buy a book called 'The Slang Dictionary' to understand a little bit of what the scenes were about,” he recalls with a laugh, “but I would do it all over again.”
Ricky Martin stars alongside Laura Dern in “Palm Royale”
(Erica Parise / Apple TV+)
Martin is quick to dismiss any suggestion that he has been typecast as a gay man: “I'm happy to go wherever the wind takes me, but I'm also very happy to play straight roles. I do not have any problem with that”.
But at a time when LGBTQ+ rights continue to come under attack, Martin is aware that representations of queer life remain a vital reflection of society. “We are decision makers, we set trends and we are part of life, so I think more [queer] It is necessary to tell stories. And if I could do them all, I would do them all,” he says. “But I know there are many great LGBTQ+ actors and actresses who are ready to work and hungry for the opportunity.”
For his part, Martin is still waiting to sink his teeth into the role of a juicy and downright evil antagonist. “I want to touch on something as important as mental health. I always told my agent, 'Let's look for that script where I have to shave my eyebrows and I have to change physically to feel comfortable with a character,' and we're working on it. If you see paparazzi photos of me without eyebrows, you know what's going on,” he says, laughing. But he also aims to harness his star power to write, direct and produce his own content.
While waiting for news about a possible second season of “Palm Royale” (creator Abe Sylvia has already confirmed that, if it is renewed, Robert will survive the big cliffhanger at the end), Martin reveals that he is planning to make a “very powerful” movie (but as yet unannounced) project early next year that might involve some music.
After wrapping up the most recent leg of his Trilogy tour with Pitbull and Enrique Iglesias, Martín says he's been working on “reviving” some of his old hits with new arrangements and collaborations, but he still has to “lock himself in the studio.” and start working on his next album.
“I went through a lot last year: I got divorced, I changed managers, I went through family problems. Right now, I'm in a great place and I just want to keep it simple and have fun with my kids, enjoy being single and all that good stuff,” she says. “I guess now it's all about the input so I can go into the studio and work on the output.”
Martin, now 52, has been famous for most of his life. That kind of global attention (not to mention the adrenaline of performing in front of tens of thousands of fans) can be disorienting. Martin admits that he has had to develop a thick skin to withstand the intense scrutiny over his personal life.
“In order not to compare [myself], but I look at Elvis and Jim Morrison. We see people who are no longer with us and who are legends, and they needed that pill to relieve the pain,” says Martin, who considers himself “very, very lucky” to have the strength of family and friends who have known him for a long time. time. decades.
In conversation, Martin still radiates the same irresistible blend of charm and sex appeal that has defined his career. But beneath that larger-than-life personality lies an artist determined to prove that his best years are still ahead of him, especially because he believes that the gay community tends to consider anyone over 30: “I'm going to change that way of living.” thought. Just hold on tight. This is just the beginning.”
