The new season of American Crime Story has some big firsts for Ricky Martin. After about twenty years in the acting biz, he'll be starring in his first ever sex scene. And after seven years as an out and proud gay man, Martin will be playing a gay character onscreen for the very first time.
Martin signed on to season two of the crime television show partly because he loved working with one of the show's executive producers, Ryan Murphy, on Glee. The other reason had to do with his own love for the story. He told Entertainment Weekly that the story of Gianni Versace and his lover, Antonio D'Amico, who Martin will be playing, is something that needs to be brought to life.
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"We’re going to go mainstream with a story that talks about homophobia, that talks about hate, that talks about indifference," he explained. "It’s something that I really wanted to be loud about."
The season, formally titled The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, follows the life of the famous fashion designer leading up to his untimely death. Just like how The People vs. OJ Simpson dealt with themes of racism, this season will take a dive deep into homophobia. Filming the show brought up a lot of feelings for Ricky Martin. Because of Versace's fame, he and D'Amico were forced to keep their relationship a secret.
"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!" Martin recalls. Having to hide every little interaction for fear of being outed was hard for Martin because he lived that way for so many years.
"That took me back to eight years ago when I was in the closet and it just moved me," he admits.
The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story will premiere in early 2018.
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