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 while it’s no secret that the 52-year-old Puerto Rican began his career as a child with Menudo, not many people know that he had already gained some fame in his San Juan natal because of the disfigurement with which he appeared in television commercials. At the age of 19, he was accepted by the prestigious Tisch Theater School in New York, but a trip to Mexico changed his plans. He was added to the cast of the telenovela Alcanzar una estrella and at the beginning of his career as a soloist he had time to record 100 episodes of the second part.
The truth is that beyond popular perception, Enrique Martín Morales has always been as much an actor as a singer, so his return with an Apple miniseries, Palm Royale, should not surprise us. However, 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 to the exclusive interview with La Vanguardia: “It was the opportunity to work with several legends of the performance 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 kind of stories I like to tell. In addition, I had never entered comedy and being able to do it surrounded by the masters of the genre has been a dream”, he says.
In the series, Kristen Wiig plays Maxine Simmons, a woman who desires luxuries 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 happens the days in a catatonic state. Eager to belong to high society, Maxine can’t wait for her husband to inherit her mansion, so she’ll go to great lengths to be accepted into the exclusive, invitation-only Palm Royale Club of two members and an initiation fee of $30,000. But there he will run into the waiter Robert (Martin), with a military past, 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 family very powerful in Puerto Rico. The writers told me it was my secret. He has an eagle eye to see what is coming with an agenda of his own. And that’s why he clashes with Wiig’s character. Eventually he realizes that this girl has a lot in common with him. From this moment on, he begins to empathize a little with her and to protect her”, he points out, and clarifies that his juiciest moments are in the last episodes.
Ricky says he had a lot of fun working with Kristen: “It was very hard not to laugh in the scenes with her and the same thing happened to me with Carol Burnett. Kristen and I would go into the makeup room every morning and read our scenes and it automatically created a very light atmosphere where we felt very comfortable with each other. There was a lot of 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. Hopefully there will be a second season”, he says determinedly.
After returning to acting thanks to 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 film Netflix The magical Christmas of the Jangle. When we ask him why he hasn’t worked more as an actor in recent times, his answer is forceful: “I’ve always had interesting offers, but not so much as to say ‘here I go’. And so far I haven’t gone wrong choosing, I’ve been selective and that’s how I want to do it. Since I presented Palm Royale, the phone hasn’t stopped ringing with 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.
