When we hear about Ricky Martin we think of rhythm, Livin’ la vida loca, and the spectacular concerts to which he has accustomed us. And although no one is aware that the 52-year-old Puerto Rican began his career as a child when he joined Menudo, not many know that he had previously earned a certain amount of fame in his native San Juan for the self-confidence with which he appeared in the TV commercials. At age 19 he was accepted by the prestigious Tisch theater school in New York, but a trip to Mexico changed his plans. He joined the cast of the soap opera Alcanzar una Estrella and at the beginning of his solo career, he had time to record 100 episodes of the second part of it.
The truth is that beyond popular perception, Enrique Martín Morales has always been as much an actor as he is a singer, so his return with an Apple miniseries, Palm Royale, should not surprise us. Still, when he takes a break in the middle of the tour with Enrique Iglesias and Pitbull, it is inevitable to ask him what led him to accept Abe Sylvia’s proposal.
With the enthusiasm that characterizes him, Ricky responds in the exclusive interview with La Vanguardia: “It was the opportunity to work with several acting legends such as Carol Burnett and Kristen Wiig, Laura Dern and Allison Jenny, that is, Oscar winners. But if you add to that a wonderful story that touches on some social points that help the audience change their way of thinking a little, I couldn’t resist. These are the type of stories that I like to tell. Furthermore, I had never entered comedy and being able to do so surrounded by the masters of the genre has been a dream,” he says.
In the series Kristen Wiig plays Maxine Simmons, a luxury-hungry woman who is married to a pilot, Douglas (Josh Lucas), with whom she moves to the exclusive city of Florida with a billionaire aunt Norma Delacorte (Burnett) who spends her days in a catatonic state. Eager to belong to high society, Maxine can’t wait for her husband to inherit their mansion, so she will do everything possible to be accepted into the exclusive Palm Royale club, which can only be accessed with the invitation of two members and one initiation fee of $30,000.
But there he will run into the waiter Robert (Martin), with a military background, and who may have his own reasons for not wanting to be welcomed: “Although it is never mentioned in the series, he comes from a very powerful family in Puerto Rico. The writers told me it was my secret. He has an eagle eye to see whoever approaches with an agenda of their own. And that’s why he runs into Wiig’s character. He eventually realizes that this girl has many things in common with him. So that’s where he begins to find a little empathy with her and protect her,” he points out, clarifying that her juiciest moments are in the last episodes.
Ricky maintains that he really enjoyed working with Kristen: “It was very difficult not to laugh in the scenes with her and the same thing happened to me with Carol Burnett. With Kristen every morning we went into the makeup room and read our scenes and it automatically created a very light atmosphere where we felt very comfortable with each other. It was very calm, although for me the process was intense. I’m new to this and I like to be nervous, but she had the ease of adapting to that space of mine and taking me to other levels. I didn’t want to stop working on this series. I hope there is a second season,” he says decisively.
After returning to acting with Ryan Murphy, who gave him a key role in The Assassination of Gianni Versace, for which he was nominated for an Emmy, Martin has only appeared in a small role in the Netflix film The Magic Christmas The Jangles. When asked why he hasn’t worked more as an actor in recent times, his response is forceful: “I have always had interesting offers, but not enough to say here I come in. And so far I have not had a bad choice, I have been selective and this is how I want to do it. Since I presented Palm Royale, the phone has not stopped ringing with the projects of excellence that I like, with social impact,” he reveals.
Before saying goodbye, he promises without hesitation that if one day Martin Scorsese calls him, he will cancel all his concerts to go work with him: “I’m crossing my fingers. I have many dreams and desire to go far in this space,” he says hopefully.
