Quotes about A

"A is a perfect still-life of integrity -- a simply marvelous human being with charm and grace.  Everyone who has the pleasure of meeting him falls in love with him.  I miss being in his presence terribly."  ...Marcy Walker   SOD 5/23/00

From Friends/Co-workers....

   Don't miss this wonderful letter from Marilyn, a friend of A's.  

    "A is fantastic! The nicest person who also happens to be a fantastic actor that I know. We are so lucky to have him."  (Lea Thompson, For The People)

    "A is respectful, honorable, ever mindful of other people's needs -- not to mention extremely good-looking with a mysterious first name!"  Kristina Wagner (Felicia on GH)

    In a delightful TV interview on 10/1/03 regarding Killer Instinct, Jean Smart said that "A plays my gorgeous boyfriend and my fabulous partner!" 

By Patrick Mulcahey
Soaps In Depth - October 5, 1999

    "There are a few actors who have perfect pitch with regard to the characters they play. Tony Geary comes to mind. He's incapable of misplaying Luke. Asleep he's Luke. There are even fewer actors who can make anything work. A Martinez [for who Mulcahey wrote during his stint as Cruz Castillo on SANTA BARBARA] comes to mind. It doesn't matter what it is, how ridiculous it looks on paper - give it to A, and he will sell it. Even if you have completely misconceived the action, if what's being asked is something the character as established would never do, A will enlarge the character so it seems like it couldn't be any other way."

    "Hi everyone...I'm the college friend of A's who wrote to Debbie. It was just wonderful to read your messages to me. I was a barely-out-of-high-school 17yearold when I got to UCLA, and A was the first person I met from the theatre dept. and we stayed in touch for a number of years afterwards. I just want to reaffirm what Debbie told you I said, which is that A was then, as I'm sure he is now, one of those pure, sweet souls that come along all too infrequently in life. Everyone loved the guy; you couldn't help it~~~ despite the fact that he was one of the few in the Dept. who was actually getting work, he was just down-to-earth and "real", and kind. When I record GH to watch him, I can still see the person I knew, but of course IRL he was/is (I'm sure!) a lot "lighter" and less brooding than Roy. Give him better material, and he will shine. I do feel proud to have known him, and glad he has such a caring group of fans as you all! Thanks!"   Evie 4/01 posted on the A & Marcy Board.

    "I loved working with him.  A's one of those guys who's just soulful beyond belief.  Big heart, just gives and gives.... A and Marcy Walker taught me how to act."  Ally Walker, SOD 2/15/00

    "A is the most brilliant, dedicated and talented man I know.  I admire him, I respect him, and I love him with all my heart."  Marcy Walker

    "A's dressing room looks like a tornado has hit it.  He has stuff in there from 1984.  He keeps everything.  Every letter, every picture, every magazine, every poster, every newspaper article.  Anything he has accumulated at work gets into his dressing room.  His dressing room is a shambles!   So Mary Anderson (SB publicist) and I decided that for his birthday this past year, we would go down and clean his room.  Not a good plan at all (laughing).  He didn't know where anything was.  We didn't throw anything away.  All we did was put all the mail in one area, all the magazines in a stack.  We dusted and cleaned all his little objects d'art.  We made it look nice so he had some counter space.   He walked in and was like, 'What...what...what are you doing?' So for his next birthday, we declined the offer.  Next time he gets a card, not a maid!"   Marcy Walker, SOU

    "I admire, respect and adore A.   We have a wonderful working relationship and he brings out the best in me."   Marcy Walker 

    "A and I practice hard.  We want our scenes to be perfect."  Marcy Walker

    "A Martinez is a man's man, but is at his best in intense, emotional scenes.  Has a different look - a definite plus".  Article in soap mag.

    "He's completely charming and dangerous and gentle, all at once."  Sheila Kelley

    "A and I have a mutual respect for one another.  We want to do good work every day.  And we genuinely like each other, too.  That adds to our screen chemistry.  It would be torture to have to do heavy love scenes with someone you really didn't like!"  Marcy Walker

     A is a dichotomy because yes, he's very, very sexy, but he has that macho, real man's sexuality.  Yet he has great vulnerability and sensitivity.  I'm thrilled to be working with him.  ...Jacklyn Zeman  SOD 5/23/00

    "Watching Cruz is watching a strong man cry.  It gets you every time.  When he thought he'd lost Eden forever in a plane crash, Cruz's world collapsed as he struggled to continue without her.  He wept for many reasons:  anger, frustration, despair, loneliness.  And we believed every tear."

    "He reminds me of my first boyfriend."....an actress. 

    "He is so sexy, compassionate, and sensitive - and able to get that across.  He is the man every woman wants in her life."...a network executive

    Goodbye A Martinez, SOU, 9/92.  "As A Martinez says goodbye to Santa Barbara and daytime television (at least for the present time), his many friends are feeling the impending loss.  Here, they share with SOU their parting best wishes to one of daytime's most-respected and well-loved actors.............

"Dear A, I'll miss my pal.  But I'll be happy knowing that you're kicking butt on L.A. Law."  Eileen Davidson

"A, No one has ever impacted my life in such a short time.  I love you like the brother I never had."   Forry Smith

"A, You're a wonderful role model.  Thanks for the advice and may God continue to bless you in all that you do."   Eric Close

"Dear A, Of course we'll all miss you - how could we not?  But I know your spirit will continue to live on in all of us here at Santa Barbara.  May you continue to carry on your work in peace and light.  Give 'em hell counselor!  God's speed my friend."   Love, Nina Arvesen

"Dear A, Let the music keep our spirits high.  Let the building keep our children dry.  Let creation reveal it's secrets by and by.....Jackson Browne.  I love you."   Nancy Lee Grahn

"Dear A, There's no one in my entire career I've enjoyed working with more than you.  As an actor you are terrific.  As a human being you are in a class by yourself.  I will not say goodbye, but will miss you."   Jed Allan

    A unique bond was also shared by Walker and co-star A Martinez, and it translated onto the screen in a way that mesmerized viewers.  "I've maintained for the longest time that one of the greatest relationships I've had in my life was my relationship with A,"  Walker says.   " I think who we were really complemented each other in a very pleasing way, just as people.  We were so different, and yet we agreed spiritually on so much, especially when it came to the work.  I miss it."  SOW

    "You learn a lot about each other when you work together for a number of years.  A and I climbed the mountain.   Parting ways from him was one of the hardest things I ever had to do."   Marcy Walker

    "The truth is that Cruz and Eden's love story and the immensely powerful bond that A and Marcy created was part writing, part superb acting, and the rest came from the magic that these two characters created whenever they were together.  Their love story was the stuff that dreams are made of -- theirs was the relationship that everyone fantasizes about."  Jill Farren Phelps, SOW

    "It would be a shame if all relationships on soaps were only created by the writers.  We were doing all those wonderful scenes and we knew it was working, but they (the producers) wanted us to hate each other.  They said, 'You're a WASP, and he's a Mexican.  We don't know if the audience will take it.'  I said, 'It works and they love it.  Do it.'   We had been doing it for six months before they wrote it for us.  A and I are friends.  I trust him and he trusts me.  I would never do anything to make it a non-respectful relationship.  We just know that we have the freedom to express our emotion and sexuality and know it's not going anywhere.  It's above board.  It's a pleasure to work with him.  He's the single most interesting person that I've ever worked with."  Marcy Walker

    "A's the glue that holds the show together on so many levels.  He's the heart of Santa Barbara."  SB spokesperson 1992

    "I trust A with our love scenes.  He's married, not some weird, swinging single.  We're friends.  Of course we've gone through our rocky periods, because of the different motivations we've had for our scenes together.  But through it all, we have always respected each other.  That shows in our work."  Marcy Walker

    "A Martinez is phenomenal.   From the first day I knew we had a real soul connection.  Our work shows it.   My heart will break if they ever take him away from me.  I look at him sometimes and cry.  With him, my emotions are at the very top.  Before I worked with A, Bobby Woods was my favorite leading man."  Kristen Meadows (Tori, SB)

    Since she'd been brought on to break up one of daytime's most popular duos, Eden and Cruz, Kristen Meadows experienced some tension working with Marcy Walker, who plays Eden.  "Initially, I felt a coldness from her.  Eden and Cruz were such a tight item.  Psychologically, it was difficult for another woman to come in.  Then we started getting into it, playing bitches on the set, and began having a good time.  But first we had to feel each other out.  We had to get in touch with those feelings of competitiveness and jealousy.  We went around one another, really circling and wondering for a while."

"I never thought I would ever work with someone as great as he is.  He's a very seasoned actor, but there's something that's really open and calming that sort of plays upon your emotions.  He works with everyone so well.  You can put any actor with him, and he's gonna shine, and he'll make the other person shine too!  All of that is attributed to A because he's so open.  I feel honored to work with him because everything we do has such magic to it.   I look at stupid little scenes that I think are real nothing scenes, because we fly right through them, but when I watch them on screen, 'Wow!  That was really something special'!  I can't say that I've had that with everyone I ever worked with.  I think he's great."  Marcy Walker

"I definitely think A is more the perfect man (than Cruz).  He's not as complex as Cruz.  A is very much the take charge type, but he has grace about doing it.  A lot of times it's imperative to take charge.   When A does, you hardly even know he's doing it.  He's got a lot of class.   I can see A as the perfect guy.  He's a great father; he cares about his wife; he's responsible, caring, supportive, sensitive, and gentle.  He has a lot of wonderful qualities.  I've seen a lot more dimension in A over the years than I've seen in Cruz.  A is one of my best confidants.  He's easy to talk to and he gives great advice.  He's also a pretty smart guy, too."  Marcy Walker

"I think that the reason A is so appealing is because he's not pretentious at all.  He's a very loving and giving person.  The thing about A is he's got such a gentleness of spirit.  You can't imagine not being attracted to him when you meet him - just as a person.  He's so reachable.   There's something really grand about knowing someone like that in your life."   Marcy Walker, SOD 6/26/90

"If you think of the greatest relationship with a man you've ever had, and you think of it without being intimate, that's how it is.   It's one in a million that you can have a really open, fun, supportive relationship with a male and not think of being attracted to them in any way other than friends.   I just think he's a great human being." Marcy Walker

"A and I discovered early on in the game that there was an unspoken work ethic we both shared.  And our acting methods; the way we approach a scene, etc. are very, very similar.  That has been the saving grace many a time.  It I had a problem with a scene, it's almost like we both adjusted mentally...we don't have to talk about it.  I'll know before I even come in in the morning, having read the script the night before, I'll know exactly what lines A is going to change.  I know him, I know him like I know Cruz."  Marcy Walker, SOU, 1987

"I got to know A when he was on 'Santa Barbara' and I was on the same lot at 'Generations.'  I really admired how he carried himself.  He was such a nice, easygoing, happy guy.  He's sort of my role model for being an actor on a soap."  Kristoff St. John (Neil on Y&R) SOD 5/9/00

"He's my guy.  He makes me well up.  I've been getting so much sh-- about this from Maurice and Stephen (Bernard and Nichols, who play Sonny and Stefan on General Hospital), because I keep talking about him.  I talk very often about Santa Barbara (she played Julia Capwell) -- 'On Santa Barbara we did this.  On Santa Barbara we did that.'  They are like, 'Oh, shut up about Santa Barbara.'  Steve and Maurice... they think they are the rulers of the show.  Maurice invited me to something at his house and left a message saying, 'I really want you to show up, otherwise I will have to call Wendy Riche....'  That is how they talk to me.  So with A coming on, I have been saying, 'You know, A is hot; he is bigger than you guys and he makes more money.'  And I couldn't be happier that he is here."  Nancy Lee Grahn

"A has the ability to make you feel the emotion along with his character.  He is one of the best there is."  Kim Bertolett

"Intelligent, sensitive, caring, masculine, family man, socially-conscious.  Those words all describe two men:  Santa Barbara's Cruz Castillo and the actor who plays him, A Martinez."   Soap magazine clip

Star Qualities:  Martinez has a natural flair for high-profile drama (not to be confused with melodrama) which can easily be transferred to a prime-time series.  His subtle underplaying of his role always suggests strength and control.  This technique converts easily to prime-time television and film, as opposed to the stage.  Martinez will surely end up on the silver screen, but it will be by way of prime-time television, for which he already has a development deal with NBC.  While it would be easy for some network executive to cast Martinez as a crime fighter, we'd rather see him in a film, as a teacher in an inner-city high school.  Soap magazine clip

"You get a sense of depth and experience from A," says former SB co-star Russell Curry (Boswell).  "There's nothing that he could not do."

"I miss A.  I know that we were the number 1 focus all those years.  People really loved that couple, we had volumes of good stories, we were the first two anyone wanted to photograph.  I know all that to be true.  but if you sifted it all down, the most precious part wasn't the recognition, the magazine covers, the Emmy, it was what I got to do every day with A.  I could be in the number one spot at AMC, and it wouldn't be as magical and precious or as satisfying...... I had that, and I had it where I was supposed to have it."  Marcy Walker, TV Guide, 11/9/99

From Fans...

4/01   "I had a GREAT time at Deerbrook Mall that
Saturday. The program was sponsored by ABC.  There were several auditions ..... I didn't try, but it was a blast to watch ! These contestants would do a skit
on the stage and the chosen best would have the honor of flying to New York or California for the final BIG audition to see just who would have the BIG
honor of actually being on General Hospital with A Martinez !!  After the auditions ....... A arrived!!!!!!  He stood on stage for a question/answer time devoted to the audience. I thought it was interesting that the A in his name comes from his grandfather ..... Adolfo. He also mentioned the movie he was in with John Wayne a long time ago.  After this time with the audience , we actually got to MEET him !! Wow !! That was heaven !!  He was so cordial and polite and spent his time with EACH person. He didn't sit down behind a desk and just rush you thru and sign a photo. He talked to each individual person for a few minutes!!"   (contributed by Florence).

"The good news .....A is real, he truly does exist.   The bad news....there's only one!"

"A is a man among men, one of those rare breed of people that you pray that you are lucky enough to meet and know one day -- whether it is in the form of the person who you end up spending your life with or one who is just a friend."

"It just doesn't get any better than A Martinez."

"Reminds me of the phrase 'aged to perfection'".

"I find A's portrayal of Cruz to be the perfect match of actor and character.  A is, in my opinion, the most talented and charismatic actor on daytime.  Cruz can be dramatic, sensitive, strong, playful, very sexy and it all rings true.  What I think most sets him apart from all the rest is the genuine, from-the-heart emotion he brings to the audience." 

"A is such a wonderful, down to earth human being, a true gem."

"One in a million, a rare find.  He is a true gentleman and a great father and husband, not to mention the best actor."

"If I were in the same room with A, I don't think I'd be able to remember my own name!"

"Just saw the cover of the latest People Magazine describing Brad Pitt as the "Sexiest Man Alive".  Now, as much as I do appreciate Brad Pitt, I think we all know who SHOULD have been selected for this or any other year!"

"A has looks, brains and sensitivity.  Now that's sexy!!!  He's the ultimate."

"Do you think A would mind if we had him cloned?!"

From the ABC GH/Roy message board (all by the same author).... 4/3/00  "And I hear the collective moan of the multitude of us who suddenly realize that we are not the only ones that recognize the extraordinary appeal of this man -- that he has invaded more than one fantasy -- that ours is not the only heart that has skipped a beat when he looked right into the camera, right into our souls.   But what a tribute to A's acting talent, that, for a moment at least, each of us feels that we could take the place of that woman in his arms and be just as adored."  4/5/00  "Thanks for the compliments.  Eloquence is easy with such inspiration.  Though my life has been exceedingly blessed, there was a period, such as most of us have encountered at one time or another, where I needed to draw on strength I was not sure I had in order to help myself and others.  It was during this time that I turned on the TV and "met" A Martinez.  His charisma gave me pause.   Watching him gave me time (and reason) to breathe.  I could step away from my troubles, regroup and then move forward.  That's what the craft of acting is all about - reaching out and touching someone you don't know and probably will never meet, but nontheless adding value, knowledge, understanding, or joy to his/her life.  Having the opportunity to extol A's virtues is small return for the gift he has given me."  4/12/00  "I really wasn't going to write again.  I was going to sit back and just enjoy the show -- on the air and on the board.  But the reaction to the love scene has been so delightful, I have to post my two cents.  Okay, even with the creative editing, there were some awkward moments.  (But when in real sex aren't there?!)  We could have done without the close-up of JZ's well manicured fingernail getting caught on the (Does-Bobbie-Always-Have-These-On-The-Bed?) sheets.  And the post-coital tableau was extremely over-staged.  I could just imagine AM and JZ having to hold that awkward pose while several stagehands fussed with arranging the sheets to achieve just the right balance of skin and satin.  But all-in-all, let's admit it.   Whether we thought it came too soon or that it was about time, this IS what we have been waiting for.  This is where the talented Mr. M can literally carry us away -- not to mention actually put us down gently on a hardwood piece of furniture.  Here's a man who moves in bed like a dancer (note the directive wide-spread hand to the back -- classic dancer move) and who actually reaches for the female body parts we'd expect a man to reach for under the circumstances.  Come on...It's hard to be overly disappointed; well, except maybe about the producer's gross oversight in not casting us for that scene."

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