Ricky Martin, 54, unveiled a striking buzzcut at his Venice International Film Festival debut over the weekend.
The Puerto Rican superstar stepped onto the red carpet with noticeably lighter hair and facial hair, a sharp departure from his signature spiked brunette style. He paired the fresh look with a white silky Giorgio Armani blazer and black trousers while promoting his new Spanish-language film, “Hombre Al Agua.”
Martin serves as both executive producer and cast member in the comedy-drama directed by Gael GarcÃa Bernal. In the movie, Bernal plays Camilo, a Cuban lifeguard whose life changes dramatically after rescuing a powerful Mexican businessman named Abel from drowning in the Caribbean Sea. The grateful Abel brings Camilo to Mexico, where the lifeguard ultimately marries his daughter. Martin takes on the role of Roby, an actor hired to portray Camilo in a biopic within the story.
Bernal recently revealed that landing Martin for the part felt like a long shot from the start. The director had kept Martin’s name private through much of the development process, convinced the idea was too ambitious to pursue.
“Ricky was one of those wonderful accidents,” Bernal said in the interview. “He was the first person I imagined for the role, but it seemed like such a crazy, almost impossible idea that I kept his name to myself for most of the development process.”
The part required only a single day of shooting, and the production team had repeatedly told themselves they would find someone else. Bernal finally secured Martin’s number shortly before filming began and made the call.
“Before I had even really explained the project, he said, ‘Whatever you want,'” Bernal continued.
The project marks Martin’s first full Spanish-language film role in more than two decades. His recent screen work includes the 2014 TV drama “Palm Royale” with Kristen Wiig and Josh Lucas, and his 2018 turn as Antonio D’Amico in “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story.” On the red carpet in Venice, he posed alongside Bernal and co-star Manuel Garcia-Rulfo.
“Hombre Al Agua,” which translates to “Man Overboard” in English, is scheduled to screen at the Toronto International Film Festival following its Venice premiere.
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