Ricky Martin opens up about filming first onscreen gay sex scene for American Crime Story: Versace
By Will Stroude
With anticipation building ahead of the premiere of The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, show star Ricky Martin has revealed just how much commitment he had to his role as the late Italian fashion designer’s boyfriend Antonio D’Amico.
The upcoming instalment of Ryan Murphy’s drama anthology series will tackle events surrounding the murder of Gianni Versace, who was gunned down outside his Miami home in July 1997 by US serial killer Andrew Cunanan.
As well as murder, intrigue and big hair, it seems the FX series retelling of events – which stars Glee‘s Darren Criss as Cuanan and Hollywood actress Penelope Cruz as Gianni Versace’s sister Donatella – will also feature Ricky Martin’s first ever onscreen sex scene; but it seems the ‘Livin’ La Vida Loca’ singer didn’t need to worry about, erm, performance anxiety.
“I thought I was going to be more uncomfortable,” he told Entertainment Weekly. “The exhibitionism kicked in for a moment and all of a sudden I was naked in bed in front of 20 people from the crew and another actor I met that same day. 
“I was not nervous at all. On the contrary, I was ready to do what needed to be done.”
We had no doubt you’d step up to the challenge Ricky. The father-of-two, 45, also told the publication that The Assassination of Gianni Versace will also tackle the issue of homophobia, and says filming the series brought back painful memories of the time he spent in the closet before deciding to come out publicly in 2010.
“We’re going to go mainstream with a story that talks about homophobia, that talks about hate, that talks about indifference,” Martin said.
“I feel humbled. It’s so raw and honest and so dramatic and sad. But at the same time you show the love of Gianni and Antonio and 15 years of struggling, fighting. It’s something that I really wanted to be loud about.”
He continued: “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!’ You don’t understand. That took me back to eight years ago when I was in the closet and it just moved me.”
The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story is set to air in the US on FX in 2018.