This week’s Entertainment Weekly features interviews and photos of the cast of Ryan Murphy’s upcoming second season of American Crime Story. This second installment focuses on the murder of famed fashion designer Gianni Versace. In the new series, singer and actor Ricky Martin takes on the role of the designer’s longtime partner, model Antonio D’Amico.
Ricky was eager to work with Ryan again, after making a guest appearance on a 2012 episode of Glee as a sexy Spanish teacher. He called Versace’s murder “a story that needs to be told.” He went on to tell EW:
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.
Playing Antonio on ACS is Ricky’s first time portraying a gay character, after coming out publicly back in 2010. This career first holds a special significance to him because he was able to relate to the character’s struggle. As he put it,
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.
Another first for Ricky is filming his first on-screen sex scene with co-star Edgar Ramirez, who plays Versace. Despite filming the love scene the same day he met Edgar, Ricky says he felt at ease:
I thought I was going to be more uncomfortable. The exhibitionism kicked in for a moment and all of a sudden I was naked in bed in front of 20 people from the crew and another actor I met that same day. I was not nervous at all. On the contrary, I was ready to do what needed to be done.
I don’t know about you, but the prospect of a love scene with Edgar or Ricky might change my opinion on exhibitionism too. Is it hot in here, or is it just me? Edgar posted a selfie of with Ricky from the set of ACS with the caption, “Are you ready for this?” Oh, we are, trust us, Edgar.
Ricky has also posted a few behind-the-scenes shots from the set as well. On May 18, he hosted some special visitors, his 8-year-old twin sons Matteo and Valentino.
And, on May 14, the 45-year-old singer posted a photo with his cast members blowing off a little steam. Along with Ricky and Edgar, the shot shows ACS creator Ryan Murphy, Darren Criss, who plays Andrew Cunanan, and Dascha Polanco, a/k/a/Daya from Orange is the New Black, who also has a role in the series (although it’s not been announced whom she’s playing). Ricky captioned the snap, “Ready for another week working with this gang. Great days ahead.” Great days for you, Ricky, long days for those of us who can’t wait to see the show.
Photos: Entertainment Weekly, Getty Images, WENN.com
I can’t believe he’s 45. As gorgeous as ever
ITA-he looks more rugged and less “pretty boy” in his advancing years (same age as me). Go Ricky!
I’m so happy for Ricky and his life now.
He looks lovely, his kids are beautiful, and he has a new project underway. It’s pretty awesome, I kind of expected him to disappear at one point, and I’m very glad he hasn’t.
Same here. His story of not touching his partner in public rings so true and heartbreaking.
Yeah that part hurt. No one should have to reject help from a loved one out of fear of more pain and judgement.
I know, I was just sort of reveling in these photos. And I will watch the crap out of this. I remember the whole thing so vividly, as I was in Chicago and the Chicago connection had me frightened yet riveted. This was pre-internet so I remember practically running to the newsstand every day to read the latest developments. Such a tragedy.
@Esmom, actually this wasn’t pre-Internet. The World Wide Web not only existed in the late 1990s but was already being used regularly by students like myself. Not trying to be nitpicky, but I hear this a lot, and I wonder when people think the Internet came to be. I remember first using it in 1994 and I started using it regularly in 1996. I wasn’t some elite youth or computer geek. I remember even reading the news online in the first half of 1997 because I was an exchange student in England and would read the news to keep up with what was happening in the U.S.
This is a fresh story for me, kind of like the OJ stuff. I knew it happened, but wasn’t really familiar with the details. All those handsome men and Penelope in that bad hair colour, I’m gonna watch it for sure.
I remember this vividly, too, Esmom, even though I’m in Australia. My (now ex) brother-in-law grew up with Gianni Versace. They were from the same village, although the b-i-l left Italy before GV. He and his brother had often spoken of their mate, “Gianni”, but it was only when this happened that we realised exactly who they’d been talking about. I remember the many phone calls back and forth to Italy, and b-i-l and his brother comforting some of GV’s family members. GV’s sexuality was never mentioned; I don’t know if they even knew or if they just pretended it wasn’t so – they are a really old-fashioned lot. I don’t know if I’ll watch this, though. Shortly after this happened, my darling brother, aged 37, suffered a massive and fatal heart attack, so the two events have always been horribly intertwined.
WTW, ok, I guess I should have clarified that it was pre-internet for me. I used it at the office mostly for email but I guess I didn’t have time to surf news stories and I didn’t have a smart phone so the newspaper is what I read when commuting on the train. I know I didn’t get internet at home until 2001 when my younger son was born and it was a huge deal for me. That’s probably when I discovered Celebitchy!
hunk, hunk, hunk – I love him..
Many thanks, Corey. Several of us “ladies of a certain age” were swooning the other day, and here is gorgeous Ricky again. I am so happy for his freedom to be who he is!
I’m glad he got out of the closet , he’s happy now. People who live in the “closet” are sad and miserable.
Dear Lord, those abs are unreal!
I cannot wait for this movie to be released. I want to see it so bad. My biggest crush is on Edgar Ramirez, the way he looked on girl on a train was just so sexy. Actually he is very sexy.
I wouldn’t have necessarily agreed with you until seeing Ricky’s instagram shot with Murphy and the cast members. Ramirez…swoon.
Edgar is hot and clever. The whole package
i loved the mini series about OJ Simpson. I am really looking forward to this one, especially as I do not remember much about the crime apart of the fact that it happened.
isn’t it a bit odd that all the Italian roles are played by Latinos? It’s across the board. If this were reversed (Latino roles given to Europeans), wouldn’t people be angry?
I don’t know. But I always thought Enrico Colantoni, presumably Italian, was a dead ringer for Versace.
All of these individuals are white, as were all of the people they are playing, so I don’t see this as an issue. (Yes, both Ricky Martin and Edgar Ramirez are Latino but they are also both Caucasian, I believe). Honestly, the casting of Edgar Ramirez is so spot on that it is uncanny.
It is also not as if Italian American actors have trouble getting roles.
Yep, its basically a bunch of people of (probably) Spanish/Portuguese extraction playing Italian, which is not much of a stretch.
But this did happen in the past and it wasn’t an issue in the mainstream. It happened, and still happens, to Native Americans too. It’s not true that this didn’t happen to Latinos.
Yes.
I have heard Latinx complain that they are portrayed by Italians in film and tv and my response is to say: Andy Garcia.
If you notice, when there’s a movie about thuggish mafia guys who are not attractive, the actor is really Italian-American. When the character is supposed to be a hottie, they use a good-looking Cuban or other like.
I think it’s because there’s a perceived sense of exotic-hot otherness when the actor or actress is in a nearby ethnic group. There’s enough similar that the person can pass but enough different so that they’re intriguing. I have put some thought into this because I’m somewhat ethnically indeterminate (Italian, but it depends on the group I’m standing in–I get mistaken for other ethnicities, especially Portuguese or Spanish, and occasionally Cuban, which I find odd, when I’m with others of the aforementioned groups).
This used to bug me but now we all have worse things to worry about, don’t we?
Italians ARE latinos.
Everyone who speaks a language that comes from latin is a latin person.
It is only within the US that people use “latino” differently, and believe it to be an ethnicity. It’s not.
Yeah but aren’t French and Romanian also latin languages. And no one calls them latino.
I will always love Ricky Martin… I am so proud of him and I wish him all the best.
I guess I never paid much attention to Versace because I had no idea he was ever in the closet.
I still remember the cover when his kids were babies. 8, they are 8. Man, time has been flying.
OMG same! I was like wait… they are 8?!? Weren’t they just born?
I’m old. So old.
Love Ricky, so happy that he is comfortable now with himself.
Yep, love Ricky. He’s gorgeous inside and out.