Ricky Martin is urging casting directors to give him a chance at tackling "great scripts" after failing to attract more interesting acting offers following his Emmy-nominated role in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story.
The Livin' La Vida Loca hitmaker has dabbled in Hollywood throughout his career, but his dreams of making it big as an actor have faltered in recent years, even after winning critical acclaim for his work in Ryan Murphy's 2018 true crime series.
"I love acting," he told People magazine. "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."
"I just want to tap into anything that has to do with acting. I love theatre, too," he continued. "I want to tell a story. That's what I want. I want to tell (an) important story, and I want to change the way people see life in general towards some more optimistic way (sic)."
Martin, who has also tackled Broadway in the past with performances in Les Miserables and Evita, recalls one music executive claiming he would be a bigger pop star had he continued to keep his sexuality a secret - and he hopes that isn't the reason why his acting offers have stalled.
"That was something that really affected me," he reflected. "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?' 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."
The artist, who 'came out' as a gay man in 2010, added, "I don't know if I'm not getting (acting) 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."
