Mr. Martin, you've already appeared on Broadway in American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace. But in “Palm Royale” (Apple TV+), you now play your biggest role yet. When did you want to be an actor besides music?
In fact, it has been forever. I was 15 years old when I first appeared in front of the camera as a singer. With the ensemble Menudo, which I was in at the time, we were hired for a series that can perhaps best be compared to “Glee”, a kind of musical. It was exciting and I had a lot of fun. Mainly because my role was quite dramatic and emotional. I definitely tasted blood.
Why didn't you stay on the ball?
I definitely did it here and there. I did some theater in Mexico, appeared in front of the camera in a soap opera in the US and later had a Broadway engagement in the musical “Evita”. But music remained the driving force in my life. When my solo career really took off in the mid-1990s, I just had to ride the wave. Suddenly it took on a momentum of its own that I wanted to devote myself to with all my heart. For many years there was no time for anything else. However, the idea of acting never really left me. The opportunity that Ryan Murphy finally gave me on “Glee” and later on “American Crime Story: The Murder of Gianni Versace” then opened a whole new door and now I am happy to finally devote my energies to this chapter. artwork can.
Can you apply your entertainer skills to acting?
I'm much more impulsive in music, especially on stage. It is an immediate experience and you are overwhelmed by emotions. When 20,000 people stand in front of you and sing along to your songs, that means something to you. When acting, I'm much more controlled and self-absorbed. It's almost like psychoanalysis, you get to the bottom of human nature so much. At the same time, it's never just about you, you usually have colleagues with whom you share the scene and whose feelings you have to be sensitive to.
Are you already thinking about giving up music?
No, that will never happen. Above all, I couldn't live without concerts. I'm addicted to the energy the audience gives me. I like applause. That's why I would really like to be on Broadway again. The spectators there are really quite tough, you really have to convince them. But drama, music and a live audience in one? It's a combination made for me.
GQ magazine recently titled a feature about you “The Rebirth of Ricky Martin.”
I like the idea behind it. Especially since I believe in reincarnation. At the same time, I don't know exactly if I perceive my current phase of life as such. I have worked in the entertainment industry since the age of twelve. Of course, there have always been ups and downs in terms of public attention and success. But I always had something to do and never stopped working and art. Therefore, in this context, return, rebirth and the like are not really in my vocabulary. However, I have a lot of exciting things going on in my life right now, of which “Palm Royale” is just one. I really enjoy my work and I'm definitely in a good moment in life.
There seems to be no mention of a midlife crisis.
Not a bit. I am 52 years old and I really enjoy getting old. I feel much more comfortable in my own skin and body than I did 30 years ago. Those were pretty tumultuous times back then. I worked like crazy and probably thought I was happy too. Today I know how much happier and more relaxed you can be. Not that you don't already have insecurities at my age. I'm not kidding anyone. But now I know who I am and what I want and I don't constantly question myself. I'm doing fantastic and I feel like I'm at the beginning of a really solid and balanced phase in my life.
This balance probably started when you first openly discussed your homosexuality in a letter on your website 14 years ago. Did you suspect even then that this is not only an important step for you, but also important for queer people all over the world?
If I'm being completely honest, it was a completely selfish move on my part at first. I just had to get this coming out, which I had finished privately a long time ago, behind me. Finally, that burden off. I just wasn't sure how. At some point, I wrote everything down and took advantage of the fact that social networks were booming at that time and the Internet provided an ideal space for such an explanation. And lo and behold: I felt liberated from moment to moment. The whole dimension beyond that didn't come to me until much later.
Through the reactions of your fans?
Maybe they weren't all fans. But it's amazing how to this day people have repeatedly spoken to me or written to me to thank me for coming out. Hearing that my letter helped someone accept themselves or someone around them was like the icing on the cake for me coming out.