The Comeback

After Santa Barbara and L.A. Law, A Martinez is more than ready for his new series role.

SOU, 2/18/97

Thanks to Rosie in Australia!

    First the good news:  A Martinez is returning to television.  Now the bad news:  He's not coming back as his beloved Santa Barbara character, Cruz Castillo.  Beginning February 15, the Emmy-winning star of the much-missed SB will join the cast of NBC's Profiler. 

    For Martinez, it's a role he's been waiting for.

    "My friends and family love the fact that I get to play this character," says Martinez of his new alter ego, bomb expert Nick Cooper, who was introduced to the show in two guest appearances last year.  The new role may be a departure for the actor, who is usually cast as moody saviors, but that's just fine with him.

    "I have one friend who describes the character as 'dashing' and paid me a somewhat backhanded compliment," the actor related good-naturedly, "by saying, 'Finally I get to see you the way I always wished I could see you.  You're always brooding or grunting over in a corner.'"

    He's upbeat now, but for a while, Martinez had reason to brood.  After Santa Barbara was axed, the actor muddled through a confusing time in his life, during which he was burdened by the depression of leaving his longtime role.

    "I was not prepared for how deeply that would hurt," he admits.  "Not only because Cruz was a wonderful character, but because you become addicted to the work."

    Soon after, Martinez was cast as attorney Daniel Morales on LA Law.  But then that series was cancelled, and the offers that followed were not up to its high standards, Martinez says, admitting that he turned down a lot of "terrible" projects.  After being a well-respected actor for 28 years, Martinez was told by his managers that his career was in trouble.

    "They said, 'Everybody likes you and nobody is excited about you.  And that makes you difficult to sell," Martinez recalls.  What he needed, he knew, was a prestige project.  Such an opportunity came along with last year's HBO movie "Grand Avenue," produced by Robert Redford.  The strategy worked.  "All of a sudden," he says, "it's sort of, 'Oh, you're in this thing that Redford's producing; maybe there's some reason to think you are still viable.'"

    Martinez went on to star in this year's HBO western "The Cherokee Kid."  And with the Profiler gig -- his first series since LA Law -- Martinez should no longer be perceived as "on the fade."

    And it's a good thing, too.  Martinez is, above all, a devoted family man and knows he needs to get at least another 20 years out of the business.  "I've got young children," he says.  "I've got to last a lot longer.  And right now, I feel like I've got a shot at doing that."

    Why SB Was His Last Soap

    When formerSanta Barbara executive producer Jill Farren Phelps left L.A. to produce Guiding Light and then Another World in N.Y., the biz buzzed with rumors that Farren Phelps was going to invite her longtime friend A Martinez to join her in the new gigs.  But that never happened, says the actor.  "I heard the rumors myself," he recalls.  "But I certainly wasn't offered a chance to come on either show."  Not that he's upset about it.  "Jill is as good a friend as I have," he says,, "so I'm always in touch with her.  It's in my plans to work with her again."

  Return to Interviews/Articles page