The two actors get into the darker side of fame.
GH’s Maurice Benard sat down with his good friend and ex-colleague, veteran actor A Martinez on this week’s video podcast of State Of Mind to tackle a subject that both actors know too well: acting, discrimination, and the depression that comes with constant rejection.
Maurice Benard And A Martinez: The Dark Side Of Show Business
According to entertainment journalists, social media influencers, and gossip vultures, performers have the world at their fingertips. Red carpets, bright lights, Hollywood parties, lobster, and champagne are all present, but there is also a lot of hard work and much more rejection than selection. These two ex-costars (Martinez as Roy DiLucca and Benard as Sonny Corinthos from General Hospital) discuss about the unpleasant aspects of the entertainment industry.
Born After watching West Side Story, Adolph Larrue Martinez, or A as he is more well known, knew he wanted to be an actor. He reasoned, “That must mean that anybody can do this.” It stoked his love of theater and propelled him to UCLA. At the age of 20, Martinez landed The Young Animals, his first film. Even though he has a long list of consistently excellent work, the Daytime Emmy Award-winning actor admits that it wasn’t always simple.
Martinez described how, beginning in his undergraduate years, depression would make an appearance. You go to the parties with all these youngsters, and someone starts playing all these Broadway songs on the piano.” “Everyone there speaks the language of Broadway, and I’m from this blue-collar village in the San Fernando Valley,” he continued. As I would go out and smoke a joint and hang out in the garage with my pals, I began to learn music. We resembled jamming on our guitars while attempting to decipher song chords.
Later, the actor would start to doubt his professional choice after receiving numerous rejections in Hollywood. “When I reached my lowest point and had literally thought the worst possible ideas, my wife remarked, “Okay, you lost your job. You’re feeling sorry for yourself, the agent said, because you have this problem and that problem. You have been performing it for some time. Therefore, I assume you have determined that I am unimportant. that the specifics of your professional background are more significant than what I have selected to say about you. The shame of allowing myself to become so depressed is obvious. It’s not simple.
A Martinez: The Golden Age Of Santa Barbara
Benard was keen to capitalize on the actor’s acclaimed role as Cruz Castillo in the soap series Santa Barbara and his star-crossed relationship with Eden Capwell (Marcy Walker). Martinez described the turmoil that took on behind the scenes. “We finished a show in six weeks. We were in terrible condition. Everyone was shedding pounds. The reviews weren’t great. Really, the show wasn’t functioning.
“I believe that Jill Phelps, an executive producer who was working in the music department at the time but had recently been promoted to a production role, and Brian Frons, a television executive, were the ones who first started asking concerns. Because we were meant to be with other people, she suggested that we try A and Marcy out when she was just starting out as a producer.
Martinez created the stage for how Cruz and Eden were made to function by the performers. “Jill told us something that I’ll never forget: ‘You are going to have these three days, and there are lots of different ways that it could go wrong. If it didn’t work, they might make a lot of excuses later. Avoid doing that. Make it happen whatever you have to. I’ll have your back if you have to mess with it.
Therefore, Marcy and I took some time over the weekend to plan what we would do. He explained how they approached the chemistry. “Getting on the ground was one of the important things we determined to do. to see what it would look like to get these two people on the floor rather than to be sitting up. Put one of them on top of the other and allow it to develop somewhat.
A Martinez: A Career To Be Proud Of
Martinez drew on his humble upbringing in the San Fernando Valley, his experiences with discrimination, his time in Santa Barbara’s beginning and end, his work with Eileen Davidson, Nancy Lee Grahn, and Kim Zimmer, and the rocky transition to L.A. law. Learn more about his relationship with John Wayne, his work on the renowned Powwow Highway, which was produced by George Harrison of the Beatles, his growing Native American identity, and his life-altering role on Longmire.
Benard talked about going to an audition for a part in the movie She-Devil that he was up for, which involved working with Meryl Streep, a legend in the acting world, but which was ultimately won by A Martinez. The latter actor discussed the thrill of working with the three-time Oscar winner as well as the pressure of performing well when collaborating with the best. Fans will adore what else the two men discussed. Here is a link to the entire episode.
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