Ricky Martin on Playing his First Gay Character in American Crime Story

Ricky Martin has taken on a huge role in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story and he spoke out about it recently. From wanting to work with Ryan Murphy again (after he appeared on Glee) to the fact that Martin feels that this story needed to be told – it was an easy decision for him to get involved.

Martin plays the role of Antonio D’Amico, Versace’s lover, and their story is beautiful but it was also a struggle – there was a lot that they experienced together.

‘It’s a story that needs to be told. We’re going to go mainstream with a story that talks about homophobia, that talks about hate, that talks about indifference. I feel humbled. It’s so raw and honest and so dramatic and sad. But at the same time, you show the love of Gianni and Antonio and 15 years of struggling, fighting. It’s something that I really wanted to be loud about.‘

He also says that it’s a role, in ways, that he can relate to. When Martin first hit the scene – he was in the closet, it wasn’t until 2010 that he came out and there is a specific scene in this mini-series that took him back to the years he spent hiding a huge part of who he was.

‘It is special because I am speaking on behalf of a lot of people that can’t be heard. There was a scene where Gianni is weak and almost falling on the beach and I touch him and he goes, ‘Don’t touch me! Paparazzi!’ You don’t understand. That took me back to eight years ago when I was in the closet and it just moved me.’

While we wish things like closeting and homophobia were nonexistent, the truth is, they’re still massive problems in today’s world for people in all walks of life. However, if you’re in the media spotlight, it can be a ‘make it or break it’ situation when it comes to ‘coming out’. Martin’s personal story and the story he helps portray in the mini-series are proof.

We’re looking forward to his portrayal of Antonio and the wait won’t be too long. American Crime Story premieres in 2018.