CRUZ CON

A Martinez, who played SANTA BARBARA's signature romantic hero, Cruz Castillo, from 1984-1992, reflected on his SB journey and the show's legacy with Digest.

- Janet Di Lauro

Soap Opera Digest: What stands out to you about your SB casting story?

A Martinez: I rewrote my audition — that’s kind of the main takeaway — because I didn’t know how to make the scene work as it was written. It was on the advice of Leslie, my wife, who was much more aware of the possibilities of what it would mean to be on that show. I’ve always felt that gave me a big advantage because I was doing something that was uniquely mine and that I felt completely comfortable with.

Digest: Cruz and Eden quickly became the main couple on the show. What do you think made you and Marcy Walker (ex-Eden) such a successful acting team?

Martinez: It was just dumb luck, the luck of the draw. Our methodologies were similar; we had similar mechanics in the way we went about setting up the work. So there was that and also a really strong work ethic. We were really protective of keeping the quality as high as we could. We understood how lucky we were.

Digest: Did you ever sense resentment from other cast members because of all the attention that was focused on the two of you?

Martinez: There was never any feeling like that that I was aware of. It's probably human nature that there might have been. By and large, we had a really collegial vibe on that show. We functioned really well together as a group. It was such an unreasonable task to do a show a day and there was so much pressure on us that you tend to bond; you have to have each other's back to survive it. I feel we had a great deal of respect for one another just based on understanding how hard it is and, especially in its best years, how good a job we were doing. We were pretty proud of the work we were doing in the middle years, when the show just got up and sailed.