After receiving an Emmy nomination for his role in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, Ricky Martin expected to have more acting roles offered to him. Unfortunately, that’s not what happened.
In a new interview with PEOPLE for their PRIDE Issue, Martin talks about his history as an actor, hoping to get into the craft more as he expands his horizons. He also speaks on the lack of roles coming his way, wondering if him being gay has anything to do with it.
“I love acting,“ he told the mag. “I’m waiting for those scripts, for those great scripts. I can play gay, I can play straight, I can play a serial killer. I can play Latin, but I can also play European. I am ready. Just give it to me, man. Give it to me.”
He continued, “I just want to tap into anything that has to do with acting. I love theater, too. I want to tell a story. That‘s what I want. I want to tell important story, and I want to change the way people see life in general towards some more optimistic way.”
Martin also revealed that a few years back, he was told by a music label executive that he’d be selling more records if he’d never come out of the closet.
“That was something that really affected me. And I was like, ‘Am I really dealing with this? They’re not playing my music in this country because I’m gay? Is this really happening?’” he asked. “We’re talking about four years ago. This executive doesn’t work for the record company anymore. He was fired. But I felt it. It hit me hard.”
He continued, applying this same logic to acting: “I don’t know if I’m not getting parts because I’m gay, but if that’s the case, it’s really sad. I’m going to keep working until life is different.”
Ricky Martin got his start in acting on the cast of General Hospital in the mid-90’s--now 25 years ago. Back then, he also spent a little time on Broadway starring in Les Miserables.
He appeared on Broadway again in 2012, starring in Evita, and in the same year, he appeared on Glee. His next major acting gig, in 2018, was also a Ryan Murphy production: The Assassination of Gianni Versace. He scored an Emmy nomination for the role, and after such an accolade, he was hoping for more prestige acting offers.
Three years later, he’s still waiting.
